Out of Time
by MasterofCupcakes
Summary: HALLOWEEN 2018 SPECIAL: On the Day of the Departed, 16-year old Nya Smith befriends a strange but fascinating boy who doesn't really fit into modern day Ignacia. But as she soon finds out it's not a case of him being out of place there - but rather out of his time... (Modern Day / Medival AU) - Cover Image was drawn by ninjagofangirl19 for this story! COMPLETE.
1. Prologue (2008)

**I was going to start posting this** 👻 **Halloween Special** 🎃 **on the weekend but I had to add an extra chapter between 1 and 2 (which is now chapter 3) so you're getting the prologue today already (and because I'm super excited about this story** 😂 **!).**

 **It is a Ninjago AU story, and** _ **very**_ **Jaya-centred. Most of the chapters are written in Nya's POV.**

 **[Btw, I find it kinda strange to write 1st person POV in the past tense (but there is a good reason for this!) so if you spot any mistakes, please point them out so I can correct them.]**

 **This is my update schedule (dates are written the 'European way' DD/MM), I really hope I will be able to stick to it:**  
 **11/10 - Prologue / 2008**  
 **13/10 - Chapter 1 / 2015 (that's the one from the sneak peek but with some small changes)**  
 **20/10 - Chapter 2 / 2015-2016**  
 **27/10 - Chapter 3 / 2016**  
 **29/10 - Chapter 4 / 2017**  
 **30/10 - Chapter 5 / 2018**  
 **31/10 - Chapter 6 / 1818**  
 **01/11 - Epilogue / 2028**

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Prologue / 2008

"Slow down, Nya." My dad called after me. "I don't want you to lose your way in this mist."

But listening to others and following rules has _never_ been my strength, so eight-year old me kept chasing after my older brother, my long black hair a rather messy ponytail was swinging wildly from side to side as I ran up the hill.

I had soon reached the top of _Haunted Hill_ , a small elevation just outside of Ignacia, our hometown. Kai, who had arrived there just before me, turned around to grin at me.

"What took you so long?" He asked.

"I-" I tried to catch my breath. "I didn't want-" _*pant*_ "to leave –" _*pant*_ "dad-" _*pant*_ "walk all on his own."

"Don't worry. I'm already here, kids." Our father then joined us on the hilltop, carrying a large bag in his hand. "Now, let us pay our respect to our ancestors."

He took a red paper lantern as well as a pack of match sticks from the bag. "Whose turn is it this year?" He asked, looking expectantly at Kai and I.

This was the moment I had been waiting for all year.

"Mine. Mine." I excitedly bounced up and down as Kai crossed his arms and huffed.

"Very well then." My dad handed me the little box. "Here you go, Nya."

With shaking hands, I took a matchstick from the box. It took me a few attempts to light it but I eventually succeeded. I then carefully lit up the candle inside the lantern that my dad was holding.

By then, my brother had stopped pouting so that all three of us together held the lantern and raised it up over our heads – well, mainly over mine as it was the lowest – before we let go.

It was an annual tradition in our family. On the eve of the _Day of the Departed_ , our parents always used to take us children up the hill to launch one of these sky lanterns. Unfortunately, mum couldn't join us this night, so as Kai and I were watching the lantern rise up into the evening sky, my father took a picture of us for her.

On normal days, this place was a rather popular site for it held the most beautiful view over Ignacia, but, just as every single holiday that we've been up here, a thick curtain of mist surrounded us, and we always were the only people around.

"On the _Day of the Departed_ , the Realms are closer to each other." He told us. "So tonight our ancestors in the _Departed Realm_ will be able to see the light of these lanterns in the sky. And they will know that we are remembering them."

We stayed for a few more minutes until it had disappeared from our views, before we climbed down the hill again.

It was already dark so dad firmly gripped my hand on the descend, making sure I wouldn't trip or try to run away, while he held a strong torchlight with his free hand. Kai had a little light as well. He was allowed to walk down on his own as long as he stayed close to us.

"But I know the way." I whined. "We've been here so many times before..."

"I know, sweetheart." Dad smiled at me. "But this isn't called _Haunted Hill_ for no reason. If you got lost in the mist up here in this special, who knows where you would end up."

"You mean..." I gasp.

"Ah, I don't believe you." Ten-year old Kai huffed. "It's just another one of dad's stories."

It's true, the bedtime stories our parents – and our father in particular – would tell us often were about creatures not found in this Realm, like dragons, ghosts, djinns, and so on. But even if these tales weren't true, that didn't make them in any way less fascinating.

"I _like_ dad's stories." I retorted. "Tell me, where _would_ I end up?" I asked.

"I don't know for none of the children who have disappeared here have ever returned to tell." My father's answer sent some shivers down my little back and I tightly clutched his hand until we were safely down the hill and on our way back to our hometown. In the distance, we could already hear the noise and see the Ferris Wheel of the annual fun fair.

There we were going to meet our mum who was working at one of the sweets stands. Our parents were blacksmiths, the best ones in the whole county, but Ignacia wasn't a particularly rich place, so business could be rather slow sometimes and mum and dad would always look for opportunities to earn some extra money for the family.

As we were walking towards the town centre, my dad pointed at an old ruin. "Do you know what this is?" He asked.

"That's the old palace." Kai replied, less than enthusiastic. "It belonged to the Duke of Ignacia, but it burnt down aaages ago, and everyone in and around it was killed. We went there with my class from school, and it was boooring."

"Yes, that's all true." A little smile curled on our father's lips. "But do you know _why_ it was destroyed?"

"No." I shook my head, expectantly looking at dad with my big brown eyes. "Why?"

"It was about two hundred years ago, during the night of the Yin-Yang Eclipse, the rarest of all lunar eclipses which only occurs every 3721 years -"

"So, we're never gonna see it?" I piped up.

"Unfortunately not, my darling." My father replied. "But it must have been a very special sight. Unfortunately, this event allowed some ghosts from the Cursed Realm to cross over into Ninjago. They wanted to open a portal to the Cursed Realm, but to do so they needed the Realm Crystal which was in possession of Lord Louis, the Duke of Ignacia. He was holding a grand ball at his home that night, so the ghosts, disguised as noblemen and -women, could easily get into the palace. They managed to kill the Duke and his family and overpower the guards. In the end, the only way to stop them from cursing all of Ninjago was to destroy the Realm Crystal – and it was the resulting explosion that set fire to the palace, which then also spread to and destroyed many other town buildings of Ignacia."

"That's not what my teacher told us." Kai vigorously shook his head. "She said it was just some fireworks going astray."

"Well, looks like it's one vote against another." My father looked at me. "Which story do _you_ believe is true, Nya?"


	2. Chapter 1 (2015)

**Thanks for the follows/favourite/comments!**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City - Thank you. Mee too ;).**

 **RandomDragon2.0 - Thanks! Hope you will enjoy the rest of the story!**

 **boomletstudios - Awww, thank you!**

 **The picture was drawn by _ninjagofangirl19_** **from wattpad for this story** 😍 **. I still need to find a way to make it into a cover but isn't it amazing?!**

 **This chapter is the one from the sneak peek, but I've made a few small changes/edits.**

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Chapter 1 - 2015

"Excuse me, Miss." I heard a voice call out to me as I was watching the red paper lantern disappear into the sky. "Would you happen to know which way leads back to Ignacia?"

I looked around in surprise - I had not expected anyone else to be up here - and, through the eerie mist, I could make out something, or rather someone, slowly approaching me.

Just like every year on the evening of the _Day of the Departed_ , I had climbed the small hill just outside of Ignacia to light a sky lantern.

Not many other people liked coming up here in a foggy night such as this one – especially as, as the name suggests, _Haunted Hill_ is considered to be a cursed place. But for me, it held some wonderful memories.

When we were younger, our parents had always taken us, my brother and I, up here on this very eve, to perform the same ritual in honour of our ancestors.

I even kept the picture dad took of us children that one year when mum couldn't join us on my nightstand, to remind me of happier times – those time before, two years ago, mum and dad were killed in a car crash, caused by a drunk driver.

It happened in a cold and dark winter night; father was collecting mum from her second job at a restaurant when the other driver wanted to overtake them, but lost control on the icy road and crashed into their car. Ironically, it was one of the patrons our mother had served at the restaurant earlier that night. If only she had known that bastard was still going to drive...

Afterwards, we found out that the family business had been in a lot more trouble than our hardworking parents had told us. Even the compensation we received wasn't enough to cover all our debts, and Kai and I were forced to sell the _Four Weapons_ blacksmith shop that had been a part of my family for many generations.

At least they let us stay together, so we were now living in a small apartment in town, very close to our school.

Not wanting to be constantly reminded of all that we had lost, Kai had stopped following all those family traditions we used to have, including this one.

But I still remembered dad's telling us about the Realms coming together during this very day and night, and that our ancestors in the _Departed Realm_ can see the lights we light up in honour of them.

Kai didn't even know that I still came up here, and he probably would not have approved of me being all alone in this mysterious place, especially as it was already getting dark.

Well, as it turned out, I was not _completely_ on my own.

"Good evening." A boy - or maybe a young man, it was not that easy to tell in the dim light - came walking towards me.

"I was so glad when I saw the light of your lantern." He smiled at me. "I-I always come up here to watch the _Day of the_ _Departed_ festival but there isn't much of a view tonight. And I must have somehow lost my way, because I couldn't even see a single light from the town or the palace, and I was really worried I'd have to stay up here over night and..."

As he kept talking and talking, I finally got to take a closer look at him. He looked to be about the same age as myself, only slightly taller and quite skinny. He had messy auburn hair and a handsome face with lots of freckles. But his most distinctive feature were his piercing deep blue eyes that were glistening in the dark like a pair of sapphires.

And while I was in my regular clothes - a pair of skinny black trousers and a sea blue parka over my favourite red tunic - he was obviously dressed up for the _Day of the_ _Departed_ celebrations, wearing some kind of medieval costume - a loose fitting off-white shirt with a pair of light brown trousers and brown leather boots.

"Don't worry, I can show you the way back, I was going to leave myself now anyway." I give him a reassuring smile. "I'm Nya, by the way."

"My apologies, I should have introduced myself. I am Jay. Jay Walker." He bowed to me. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Nya."

I giggled. "Likewise, Sir Jay." I joked.

He blushed. "Oh, no no no." He exclaims. "It's just Jay, Miss Nya. I am most certainly _not_ nobility, and I would never dare to pose as such."

"Then just Nya is fine as well." I stated, and he nodded in agreement.

"We need to go that way." I pointed at a narrow, crooked path leading down the hill. "Good thing I've brought a torch, it's getting really dark already."

He eyes the flashlight with great interest. "That is an interesting torch." He remarked.

"Just a really cheap one." I shrugged. "Nothing special."

"M-may I?" He asked shyly.

"Sure." I handed him the torch, and he inspected it carefully.

"It's very bright." He noticed, waving it around. "And no open flames... I've burnt myself so many times, you know?"

"My parents were blacksmiths." I said. "My brother and I have burnt ourselves more times than I can count."

 _Were_. It still hurt – and it even still does today – to speak about them in the past tense.

I knew that I shouldn't trust strangers, but I felt strangely comfortable walking in the dark with a person I had just met. But he was so polite, somehow a bit old-fashioned, funny, and - yes, he was rather cute.

"Wow, that's amazing. My father is a carpenter, he even has his own shop, and I am training to become one as well." Jay told me. "My dream is to be an inventor and create new machines to make all our lives easier."

"How old are you?" I wanted to know, he looked way too young to be working already.

"Sixteen." He replied, meaning he was a year older than me.

"And you're already finished with school?" I was impressed. He must have been rather smart then.

"Of course." He shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

When we arrived back at Ignacia, he looked around, confused. "I-I don't think this is the right place." He remarked. "I can't remember that I've ever been here before. And where's the palace?"

"There's no palace here. At least, not anymore." I pointed towards the ruins next to the market place. "There used to be a palace over there, but it was destroyed, in a fire, about... two hundred or so years ago." History had _never_ been my favourite subject. Sure, I did remember my father's tale about the ghosts from the _Cursed Realm_ and the Realm Crystal, but that's _not_ what had happened in reality. But it still was a lot more interesting.

I gave Jay a questioning look. "Are you sure you're from Ignacia?"

"I am." He nodded. "Maybe... a different part of town?" He suggested.

Ignacia isn't that huge of a city, yet I couldn't claim I had seen _all_ of it.

And maybe he was just referring to one of those huge, fancy mansions on the other side of town, where some of Ninjago's most famous celebrities reside. Some of those surely could be called a palace.

"I am sorry I brought you down the wrong way." I apologised. "Do you think you'll find your way home from here?"

"Not sure. Oh well, I guess I'll just go up again and take a different path..." Jay said. "Thanks anyway, it was very lovely to meet you, Nya."

"Uhm, if you're not in a rush to get home, maybe I can show you around _my_ part of town - unless you have some party to get to, of course. But if not, would you like to go to the fun fair?" I suggested, although I had intended to meet my friends at a party, but I wasn't too keen on going anyway. Especially as it would just mean running into my ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend...

Not that this itself bothered me too much - we had only been together for a very short time before we realised that we were much better as friends than as a couple, and I actually really liked him and Pixie being together - it was more the fact that pretty much everyone had found their special someone, except for me.

"Sure." He smiled, taking my hand into his.

And Jay's smile grew even bigger when we arrived at the fair.

"Wow." He gasped, his blue eyes wide open. "I-I've never seen anything like this... all these lights and music and... just _wow_!" He gasped.

I had seen way bigger and more impressive fairs in the bigger cities, but Jay's enthusiasm was very contagious, so I couldn't help but enjoy myself.

Our hands still entwined, we kept walking through the crowd, me explaining the different rides and games to an absolutely amazed Jay. But, despite being easily impressed, I could tell that he definitely wasn't stupid, for he was asking me a lot of smart questions (not all of which I could answer) and would stop once in a while to watch, trying to see and understand how these things actually worked.

"What's _that_?" He asked for the umpteenth time that evening, pointing at the sweets stand. "It looks so fluffy."

"Cotton candy." I replied. "Have you never tried it?"

"No." He shook his head, looking rather disgusted. "Why would you eat _cotton_?"

"It's only called cotton candy, silly." I giggled. "It's basically just sugar and flavours. C'mon, you _gotta_ try it."

"Oh, okay." He nodded as I pulled him towards the stand.

"What's your favourite colour?" I asked him.

"Blue." He answered.

"Mine as well." I bought a bag of the raspberry flavoured candy and opened it. "Here. Try it."

He blushed. "Thank you, b-but I-I cannot accept that."

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" I didn't even try to hide the fact that I was a little bit annoyed by his reaction. "Don't be stupid. Can't a friend just buy a treat for a friend?"

"O-Okay." He nodded, taking a tiny bit of the sticky stuff and carefully putting it in his mouth.

"Wow!" He exclaimed - again. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever tasted in my whole life."

I noticed that people were staring at us as he jumped around like a little kid, shouting "This is the Best. Place. Ever." But I didn't care. Instead, I joined into his laughter as he picked me up and spun me around.

"I-I want to get you something as well." He insisted after he had eventually put me down, searching his pockets. "My parents gave me some money. What would _you_ like?"

I looked at the small copper coins in his hands. These wouldn't get us very far here.

"I-I think we have a different currency here." I said carefully, not wanting to offend him. "But maybe you could _win_ something for me."

" _Anything_ for you." He grinned.

We had tried a few different games, without much success but still having great fun, when Jay suddenly pointed at another stand. "Let's try this one." He suggested.

Unfortunately, time flew by way too fast.

I had promised my brother (who believed I had attended my friend's party) to be home by midnight and Jay still had to get back home before his parents would get worried so, after a final ride on the Ferris Wheel, we walked back to the foot of the hill where we, rather reluctantly, said goodbye.

"Thank you, Nya." He kissed my hand. "For everything."

"No, thank you." I pulled him in a hug. "I haven't had this much fun since..." My voice broke. _I haven't had this much fun since my parents passed away._

"Uhm, anyway." I awkwardly cleared my throat, quickly pulling away before he had the chance to hug me back. "Take these." I shoved the torch as well as the bag with whatever was left of the cotton candy (which wasn't much) into his hands. "I don't want you to lose your way again."

"Getting lost on that hill was the best thing that has happened to me in a long time." He smiled sheepishly. "B-but I cannot accept these gifts, you've already done so much for me."

"And I've enjoyed doing it." I stated firmly. "Also, you got me this one." I happily cuddled the huge dragon plushie Jay won for me at the archery booth. Seriously, I've never seen or heard of anyone achieving the highest possible score in that game before.

"Nya?" Jay asked. "Di-did you mean what you said earlier?"

"I've said quite a lot this evening, so what exactly are you talking about?" I enquired.

He blushed. "When you bought the cotton candy, you said it was a treat from a _friend_ to a _friend, so..."_

"Oh, I definitely meant that." I reassured him.

"So, if we're friends now, wou-would you maybe like to meet again?" He suggested. "I could show you my part of the town. And it would be my treat to invite you there, of course."

"I'd like that." I replied. "Are you free tomorrow night?"

Maybe that was a bit pushy, but Jay didn't seem to mind.

"I am." He nodded eagerly. "Shall we meet up there -" He pointed up the hill. "- same time, same place as today?"

"Sounds great." I agreed. "See you then."

Instead of going home right away, I stayed behind for a bit to watch Jay walking up the hill, when he suddenly stopped, waving the torch.

"I am looking forward to tomorrow night." He yelled.

 _Me too._

And although the following day passed incredibly slowly, eventually the evening had arrived, and I was up _Haunted Hill_ , excitedly waiting for my new friend.

But it was Jay who never came.


	3. Chapter 2 (2015-2016)

**Wow, would you believe this story has actually got some fanart** 😍 **!**

 **First, _ninjagofangirl19_ drew the amazing cover image, and now _daniaanlyn_ has made a beautiful drawing inspired by the previous chapter - if you're on wattpatt, please check out her artbook!**

 ** **Review Replies:****

 **LloydTheGreenNinja139 – Thank you so much :)!**

 **RebelutionaryWrites – He didn't do it on purpose. Jay actually thought that Nya stood _him_ up…**

 **RandomDragon2.0 – You'll find out in this chapter ;).  
**

 **PrairieSkies - Prologue: Thank you. It was quite difficult to write the part with Ray because I already knew he and Maya would be dead for most of the story :(.**

 ** **PrairieSkies -** Chapter 1: Yes, they are :). The next chapter will have them together in Jay's time.**

 **This is the extra chapter which was not in my initial story outline. Well, the plot of it was, just as part of the next chapter (which is why it's rather short; I promise the next one will be a looot longer** 😂 **!), but then I felt it would be better as a separate chapter.**

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Chapter 2 / 2015-2016

I just couldn't believe Jay had stood me up.

So I kept waiting until it was really late, and I simply had to go home unless I wanted to get into serious trouble with my brother. And I even went back on the next evening, in case something had kept him from meeting me on the day before.

But he didn't turn up, and not on the following day either, or the one after that.

At first, I was simply very disappointed. I really had enjoyed spending the evening with a guy who was polite and not constantly hitting on me, but I had also thought there was some kind of connection between us. Unfortunately, as it seemed, Jay hadn't felt the same way.

And over time, my disappointment turned into anger.

Had it all been an act to humiliate me? First, he had gotten me to pay for everything we ate or did on the night (which I had enjoyed doing at that time, especially as I had thought it was for a _friend_ ). And then _he_ had been the one to suggest to meet up again, even though he had never had any intention of turning up...

Also, as it turned out, he had even given me a fake backstory. There was no carpentry business in my hometown registered under the name Walker. There wasn't even a single person in Ignacia with that last name – yes, I checked that.

But I wasn't just angry at Jay for playing me, I was even more upset with myself for falling for it. And I wouldn't let it happen again.

So, I put the dragon plushie from the fun fair in a box on the attic (I still couldn't bring myself to throw it away though) and tried to forget about Jay.

It worked quite well for a few months, well more or less. I went on a couple of dates with guys who _did_ show up and even paid for dinner or the movie, but just didn't feel right, so I mainly focused on my friends and on my grades. Even though they weren't around, I still wanted to make my parents proud.

As I had been offered to skip one grade and graduate a year early, I couldn't really use any major distractions (i.e. boy drama) anyway.

History was still one of my least favourite subjects. But just before the end of the school year, I realised that I needed a few extra credits, and I therefore signed up for a school trip to the Ninjago Museum of History in Ninjago City.

Most of my friends were going as well, mainly because, after the tour, we'd have some spare time to explore the capital (which meant we would probably end up visiting the mall). But things turned out a bit differently than expected.

Mrs Garmadon, our guide, was a friendly elderly woman. I've never met anyone who is even remotely as passionate about our country's past as her. But at least, it made the tour of the museum more interesting. And I _had_ to pay attention as we would have an exam on the exhibition the next day.

To my big surprise, there even was an – admittedly small – section on Ignacia, in particular the Brookstone family that ruled the county until about 200 years ago.

I remembered my father telling us about the explosion that destroyed the palace and killed everyone inside, including the noble family, their guests, and their servants.

"Not many items from that time could be recovered from the ruins of the palace." Mrs Garmadon informed us. "The fire first started in the Treasure Chamber, so all valuables kept in there were destroyed. We only have a few outfits and paintings that miraculously survived the blaze."

One of the portraits showed a handsome young man with shaggy black hair and a determined look in his brilliant jade green eyes.

"This is Master Nicholas, he was the only son and heir to Lord Louis, the Duke of Ignacia, and his wife, Lady Rhea. Not much is known about him, only that he, his wife and their infant son were all killed that night."

I found it hard to avert my gaze from the painting. It made me very sad to think how someone so young, with a bright future with his little family ahead of him, can just vanish from one moment to the next. _Just like mum and dad did..._

I completely missed the guide's explanation to the next picture but when I finally managed to at least take a brief look at it, my eyes widened and I let out a little gasp. _This can't be..._

"Nya, are you alright?" Skylor, my best friend asked worriedly, snapping me out of my trance.

"I-I'm fine." I stated. "Just... feeling a bit dizzy..."

"You do look rather pale, my dear." Mrs Garmadon remarked. "Maybe you should get some fresh air. We're almost done with the tour anyway."

"O-okay." I nodded and left the museum to sit on a bench just in front of the large brick building. My red haired friend soon followed me.

"Take this." Skylor sat down next to me and handed me a little plastic bottle. "Just got it from the museum café."

"Thanks." I gave her a little smile as I opened the bottle to take a sip of cool water.

"Was it about... you know?" She carefully asked, giving me a gentle side hug.

"I-I don't know." I shrugged. "At first it was, but then I saw that other picture, and..."

I had never told anyone, not even my best friend, about what had happened on the previous _Day of the Departed_. It was just too embarrassing.

And what was even worse, a mere picture of someone who resembled the guy who tricked me could still upset me.

I slowly shook my pounding head. "It was probably just the stuffy air in the museum." I lied.

It didn't take long for our classmates to join us, bombarding me with concerned questions and comments.

"Are you aright, Nya?" – "How are you feeling?"– "She's probably getting her period."

The last statement was from that idiot Dareth who'd been hitting on my since seventh grade.

"Are you okay to go to the mall?" Chamille wanted to know. "We can do something else."

"I-I'm not sure." I replied, but I didn't want to disappoint my friends. "Why don't you go without me, and I'll just wait here..."

"We have a sofa in the staff room, you're welcome to lie down." Mrs Garmadon suggested. "If you're feeling better after a little rest, you can still join your friends later."

"I'd like that." I gratefully smile at the elderly woman. "Thank you."

After I said goodbye to my friends, the tour guide took my arm and led me up the stairs again.

"What happened during the tour, dearie?" She asked. "I saw your face earlier, you looked like you'd seen a _ghost_..."

"I-" I felt tears welling in my eyes, and then I told _everything_ to a complete stranger.

"I thought I'm over him." I finished my narration. "But then I saw that picture..."

"What picture?" Misako – that's her first name as I had just found out – questioned. We went back to the exhibition.

"This one." I pointed at the small picture that had taken my breath away. The note attached to it simply said: 'Two craftsmen, identity unknown. Ignacia, around 1816.'

It was a rather small drawing, not as expertly drawn or as brightly coloured as for example the portraits of the Duke and his son, and it was also displayed in a very plain wooden frame.

It showed two people, a middle-aged man with black hair and thick glasses and a young one with messy auburn hair and blue eyes, standing in front of what looked like a prototype of a wooden Ferris Wheel. They both looked very proud of their achievement.

"He's even wearing more or less the same outfit." I said. "Why am I so upset about this? He's just a guy I've met only once, and he shamelessly tricked me into paying everything and then stood me up... I should just forget about him."

"What if he didn't do it on purpose?" The historian asked.

"But I've even looked him up, there isn't anyone called _Walker_ living in Ignacia."

"Not _anymore_..." Misako replied. "According to the few records we have, it was one of the families that were wiped out in the fire. Maybe he didn't lie to you."

"What do you mean?" I turned to her.

"You've just told me that you met him on _Haunted Hill_ on the _Day of the Departed_." She began. "Isn't that right?"

"It is."

"Do you know _why_ we celebrate that holiday each year on exactly this date?" She asked me.

"My dad has always told us children that the Realms are closer together on that day. He said that our ancestors in the _Departed Realm_ can see the lights we put up for them." I answered. "But that was just one of his stories, like the one about some ghosts from the Cursed Realm being responsible for the explosion that destroyed the palace..."

Misako narrowed her eyes. "Now I know why you looked so familiar, Nya _Smith_." She said. "You're Ray and Maya's daughter, aren't you?"

My eyes widened. "You knew my parents?"

"I did." She replied sadly. "I even came to their funeral, but I didn't want to bother you and your brother – Kai, right?"

I nodded silently.

"There are a few people in Ninjago who have always had a connection with the supernatural. Including your family – and mine." She explained. "So, what if your father's stories weren't just made-up tales?"

"You believe in them too?" I was surprised.

"Ninjago's history has been full of unexplained events." Misako smiled at me. "And you know that it's true.. Why else would you still light up the lantern for your parents each year?"

I blushed as I realised that she was right.

Misako pointed at the picture. "So... what if the boy on this picture doesn't just _look_ like your friend?" She asked.

"He's not my _friend_..." I muttered.

"Well, it definitely sounded like he was. Also, you said you felt some kind of connection with him." Misako continued undeterred. "Maybe you've met him for a reason. What if this boy actually _is_ him?"

"You mean I went to the fun fair, shared cotton candy, and rode on the Ferris Wheel with a _ghost_?" I looked at her in shock.

But she shook her head. "He doesn't look like a ghost to me." She smiled. "At least he wasn't one in _his_ time."


	4. Chapter 3 (2016)

**Today is the birthday of my friend** **bear2710** **from wattpad (the numbers in her username are her birthday in European notation), and it includes a little cameo by her** **.**

 **When I asked people who they would like to see in this story, Ed and Edna were the most requested characters, so I had to add an extra scene to this chapter (because they obviously need to be in Jay's timeline).**

 **Review Replies:**

 **RandomDragon2.0 - Yes, Nya's interest in museums and the history of Ignacia has definitely been piqued ;).**

 **Moonlight mm123 - Thanks for all your reviews, I'll PM you some time next week :).**

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Chapter 3 – 2016

Ever since my conversation with Misako, I had been trying to convince myself that this story _couldn't_ actually be true, yet here I was.

Just after dusk on the _Day of the Departed_ , I was again walking the narrow the path up _Haunted Hill_ , carrying a leather college bag over one shoulder and instructing myself to _not_ get my hopes up.

For the first time in years though, I _had_ dressed up for the celebrations. I was wearing a long, slim sea blue velvet dress, that had belonged to my mother. It had always been one of my favourite outfits of hers, but I had never had much opportunity to actually wear it myself.

The elegant dress had a similar style to the Duchess's robes displayed at the museum, which of course was purely coincidental. At least that's what I had been telling myself all evening.

But when I reached the top of the hill, my heart skipped a little beat when I saw _he_ was already there. Jay was sitting on a tree trunk, alternating between nervously running his hands through his tousled auburn hair and playing with the buttons of his off-white shirt, while his eyes were fixed on the mossy ground.

Hearing me approach, he looked up. His beautiful eyes lit up as he broke into a huge smile and jumped up to greet me.

"Nya." He exclaimed. "You came. I-I _was_ come up here the next day, and I was waiting for you, but you didn't turn up, so I thought..." His voice trailed off.

"I know." I simply said, returning the smile. "It was the same for me. How did you figure it out?"

"When I told my mum and dad about the fun fair, they were very interested in my stories-" He blushed. "- _especially_ those about you; yet they had never heard of all these rides and games we had done there and insisted that these don't exist. But they hadn't been to the fair in years and I _knew_ what I had seen so I made some little pictures and schematics to make sure I wouldn't forget. Then, a few months ago, I started my apprenticeship with an old friend of my dad's. Cyrus Borg not only works for the Duke but he's also a famous inventor, so I showed him my drawings. He also told me more or less the same as my parents, but then he was very interested in realising my 'inventions', so in our spare time we've built a couple of these contraptions together."

I remembered the picture I had seen at the Museum, so the second person on it must have been this Mr Borg. I there and then decided I would ask Misako to add their names to the portrait of the 'two craftsmen, identity (not) unknown (anymore)'.

"That sounds wonderful." I agreed.

"Yes, it is." He beamed at me. "And even the Duke of Ignacia was very impressed with our work, he came to the demonstration himself. Also his son, Lord Nicholas – he prefers to be called Cole though and is a really nice person and we've become good friends. Can you believe I'm friends with a Lord now?"

I was impressed how much Jay had managed to get done over the past 12 months, but at the same time I was delighted to see that his new role had not changed his character. He was still the enthusiastic and chatty boy I had met a year ago.

Although _boy_ wasn't really the right word to describe him anymore, for Jay had certainly changed physically - which I found kinda reassuring, because it meant that he could not be a ghost indeed.

My auburn haired friend had grown quite a bit, and he wasn't as skinny as he had been the previous autumn. His hair was slightly shorter and not as messy, while clothes were very much the same as the ones he had worn at our previous meeting, just newer and obviosuly a size or two bigger.

His face hadn't changed too much; he just looked more grown-up. but his cute freckles were still there (much to my delight), and his deep blue eyes were glistening with the same excitement and curiosity as before.

"Anyway-" He kept talking. "The Duke's astronomer, Sensei Wu, he was asking some questions about where I'd gotten all these ideas. I showed him the drawings and also the torchlight you gave me, and he told me that all these devices are from a different time - like the 20th or 21th century - and that I must have been there..."

"This Sensei Wu seems to know a lot." I remarked.

"Yes, he's a wise old man with a long white beard." Jay agreed. "And he also said that _this_ " He gestured around. "-can happen only once a year on the _Day of the Departed_."

"Yeah, I've heard that too..." I said.

"How did _you_ find out?" He wanted to know.

"Something similar." I replied vaguely.

I didn't want to bring up the Museum and what I had learned about the fire.

In all these stories and movies that deal with time travel, the protagonists are always told _not_ to change the past - although it seemed that I'd involuntarily done that already, by introducing Jay to modern day Ignacia and giving him all these ideas for his inventions. But... this also meant it was indirectly _my_ fault that Jay now worked at the palace – and that he would get killed on the night of Yin-Yang Eclipse?

"How have you been?" Jay's question snapped my out of my thoughts. "When I saw you last year, I didn't think that you could get any more beautiful, but it seems I was wrong..."

"Thank you." I blushed even though I didn't think I had changed much. I was still short and rather flat-chested compared to my way more attractive friends; the only part of me that _had_ grown was my hair. It now went just below my shoulders. I usually wore it in a high ponytail, but for tonight I had arranged it in two side braids.

"You look really great as well." I added, and _that_ was definitely true.

"So... do you want to help me light the lantern?" I asked in an attempt to switch topics.

"Sure." He nodded eagerly. I took the sky lantern from my bag and unfolded it before I handed it to Jay. "You're taller than me." I stated. "It's easier if you hold it and I'll do the light, okay?"

I thought of how Kai and I used to fight over who would get to light the lantern when we still came up here with our parents. That time was long gone.

I shivered.

"Are you cold?"

Jay shyly put his arm around my shoulder and I leaned against him as we together watched the lantern rise up into the sky.

"Not anymore." I smiled.

"What do you want to do now?" He asked when it had disappeared in the mist above us.

"You've promised to show me _your_ Ignacia." I answered. "If you know the way..." I teased him.

"It will be my pleasure." He offered me his arm and led me down the path leading down the other side of the hill.

"So, how have you been?" Jay asked again. "How's life in the year... - what is it - 2000?"

"2016." I corrected him. "Not too bad. Just the usual – school, sports, friends, and so on." I replied, rather embarrassed how little I had achieved in comparison to him.

"You're _so_ lucky." Jay said, and I could hear a hint of jealousy in his voice. "My parents were able to let me go to school until I was fourteen, but many of my friends – _especially_ the girls – had to leave school and start earning money much earlier."

I'd never seen it this way. To me, school has been more of a necessary evil but it actually _is_ a privilege. And, even though we weren't particularly rich, my brother and I were still able to go to college. After selling the _Four Weapons_ and paying off our debts, Kai and I had slipt whatever money was left and into our savings and education funds.

"Promise me that, when _you_ have a daughter, you'll let _her_ get a proper education." I requested, and Jay's face turned the deepest shade of red one could ever imagine. "Uhm, s-sure, I w-will." He stammered.

As we approached the town, I gasped in surprise. I had been told that Ignacia used to be so much bigger before the _incident_ , but I hadn't expected _this_.

It was a buzzing town, beautifully decorated with lanterns, and people were celebrating in the streets.

Despite there being no fun fair, it was a lot more... cheerful. And the palace – wow! There were some paintings of it at the museum, but none of them had shown it on a night such as this one. It was brightly illuminated, and the stained glass windows were glowing in the dark.

"Can we stop here for a moment?" I asked, just before we reached the centre, and I carefully took my phone from my bag to take a picture.

"What's this?" Jay asked.

"It's a phone, you can talk to people who are far away with it." I explained. Of course, I had no reception here – or rather _now_.

He looked confused. "But... that wasn't _talking_ , right?"

"That's true." I giggled. "You can also do a lot of other stuff with it." I explained. "Like this."

I put my arm around him and pulled him closer. I then placed a chaste kiss on his cheek as I took a photo of us. "This is called a selfie." I showed him the picture on my screen.

He gasped. "Amazing..."

"I'm gonna put this away now, before I get arrested as a witch..." I joked.

Jay shook his head. "No, that's sooo 17th century, we don't do that anymore. But I agree, you'd better hide it away."

"Before I forget, I've brought you a few things." I searched through my bag to reveal a pack of new batteries for the torchlight and a slightly squished bag of cotton candy I had bought at the fun fair on my way to _Haunted Hill_ – yes, I _had_ hoped for him to turn up. "Ta-daa." I gave him the items, plus a plain little jute bag (which I hoped would not catch any attention here) to transport them.

"Thank you." He blushed. "But now you're again the one giving _me_ all these presents..."

"Hey, as I've said before it's nothing but a gift from a friend to a friend."

"So, will you let _this_ friend here treat you now?" He asked. "If I remember correctly, I've promised to take you out for dinner on our next date."

"You have." I confirmed. "And as much as I'd love to try all the food here, I'd actually prefer to just have a little snack and see more of _your_ Ignacia and catch up with you. After tonight, we won't get be able to see each other for another year..."

"Then I know just where to go." Holding the bag in one hand, Jay took my hand into his free one, and he pulled me through the crowd to a bakery stall with the most amazing looking and smelling breads and pastries.

"Good evening Jay." The girl behind the stall smiled at my friend. "What brings you here tonight?"

"The best waffles in Ignacia, of course." I felt a sharp pang of jealousy as he fondly smiled at her. She was undeniably very pretty, with her green-blue eyes and long blonde hair in a French braid that went all the way down to her waist.

They were way to comfortable around each other for my liking. Did Jay just bring me here to introduce me to his _girlfriend_?

"Antonia, this is my friend Nya. She's from... uhm... out of town. Nya, this is my little cousin Antonia."

 _Cousin._ I smiled. _That's a lot better than girlfriend._

"Hey." She protested, her eyes glistening furiously as she playfully punched him. "I'm seventeen as well."

" _Just_." He laughed. "I'm still older than you."

"Not mentally though..." Antonia retorted. "It's lovely though to meet you, Nya. I hope to see you around more often here." She winked at me. "My cousin can be a bit annoying sometimes, but he's a _really_ great guy."

"It's nice to meet you too. Unfortunately, I'm only staying tonight..." I replied regretfully.

"Oh, then I don't want to keep you waiting any longer." She handed us the freshly baked waffles. "It's on the house – just don't tell my boss please."

"Thanks, Toni." Jay smiled at his cousin. "Can I leave this bag here with you? I'll collect it later."

"Sure." Antonia agreed. "Enjoy your evening."

Jay gave his cousin the jute bag and a quick hug before we sat down on a bench on the side of the market square, enjoying our delicious treat.

"Antonia is one of the best bakers in Ignacia and probably in all of Ninjago." Jay told me. "Unfortunately, her boss makes her do all the hard work and pays very little in return. I've already talked to Cole about her getting a position at the palace as well."

 _No._ I inwardly screamed. _Not her as well_.

"Can't she just start her own business?" I suggested.

"Oh, you can't just do that." Jay answered. "To have your own business, you need to be part of a guild, and it takes quite a lot of money and time to get their approval."

I sighed, life is the 'old times' had been a lot harder than it was today. I really wondered how Jay could still be so cheerful.

"I'm very lucky." He explained when I asked him. "Although my father has his own shop, my family isn't very rich, but they're doing alright. And I am able to do something that I enjoy. Sure, I still have to work hard, but it's so much easier if you love what you do."

 _Do what you love doing._

My brother had always loved helping mum and dad at the forge. And even though we had lost our parents _and_ the _Four Weapons_ , he had still started training as a blacksmith after he had finished school this summer.

Having skipped one grade, I only had a few months left before my graduation next year - and the decision what I was going to do with _my_ life...

"Where would you like to go next?" Jay's question snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I-I don't know." I shrugged. "Maybe just a little walk through the city – I definitely have to burn off some calories after this amazing snack. And you've said that you work at the palace, do you think there is a way I can let me have a peek _inside_?"

"Of course, I can." Jay grinned cheekily. "While I of course don't work inside the main building, Cole has shown me all the secret passages into the palace. We've been meeting in secret and he's been training me to fight like an actual knight. But we might just as well try the main entrance first. Lord Louis is holding his annual ball, and _you_ would definitely pass as the guest of honour."

"Th-thank you." I blushed.

He smiled. "I mean it." And I knew he did.

That's part of the reason I had been so upset all these months when I had thought he had stood me up. Jay Walker just wasn't the lying, deceiving kind of person.

"You've said you wanted to take a little walk first?" He took my hand and we strolled through the narrow streets of the old Ignacia. I guess my facial expression must have resembled Jay's when he had been in my time.

I had always considered the inner city of Ignacia to be rather ugly, of course a lot of buildings had been rebuilt _after_ the fire. But in this time, the main street was lined with lots of cute little half-timbered houses, all of them decoreated and brightly illuminated for the festivities.

"Jay." A female voice called after us. _Does he know every woman in Ignacia?_ I wondered.

But when we stopped and turned around, it was an elderly couple rushing towards us.

Jay's face paled. "Ma? Pa?" He gasped. "Wha-what are you doing here? You haven't come into town for the _Day of the Departed_ in years..."

"Oh, darling. After those marvellous stories you told us last year, we thought we'd have to see all those fancy modern attractions ourselves." The friendly looking woman informed him. She had brown hair in a slightly messy bun, while her husband's short hair was already grey, as were his eyebrows and the little goatee on his chin. "We've already been on this rather scary Wheel you and Dr Borg have built."

Of course, how could I have forgotten about that one? I definitely wanted to see and try it as well.

"Couldn't be more proud of you son." Jay's father gave him a pat on his back as his mother's gaze fell on me.

"And who is this lovely friend of yours?" She wanted to know. "Oh, you're so pretty, just my son's type."

The blush on my face probably resembled Jay's as he replied. "Thi-this is Nya. Nya, these are my parents Ed and Edna Walker."

"Nya?" Mrs Walker suspiciously narrowed her eyes. "Wasn't this the name of the girl you met last year? You were so disappointed when she stood you up..."

"I-it was just a misunderstanding, ma." Jay quickly reassured her. "We were both waiting for each other at the wrong-" _Time._ "uhm... place. And Nya isn't from here, so we weren't able to see each other and sort out this... misunderstanding until today."

"Oh, are you a guest of Lord Louis' then?" Edna guessed.

"N-no." I shook my head. "I'm just visiting the town, it's famous for its _Day of the Departed_ celebrations all over Ninjago."

"Oh, really?" Edna asked. "I didn't know that. But I shouldn't be surprised, it is a wonderful place to visit – and even better to _live_ here." She smiled at me. "How long are you staying? We would love to have you over for dinner."

"Unfortunately, I have to return home tonight, otherwise my brother will be worried sick." I answered truthfully, although I was sad to disappoint the kind woman by declining invitation.

"Oh, I see." And she _did_ sound rather disappointed. "But family _is_ important. Isn't this right, Ed?"

"Of course, my sugarplum." Her husband agreed, placing his arm around her waist. "There's _nothing_ more important."

Jay turned his head away in embarrassment, when Mr Walker affectionately kissed his wife's cheek. But I watched their cute little display with a sad smile on my face, badly missing my own mum and dad.

After chatting to the friendly couple for a bit longer, Jay and I said goodbye to his parents, him definitely more eager to get away from them than me.

"It was lovely to meet you, Mr and Mrs Walker." I said to them.

"Oh, please, call us Ed and Edna." Edna ignored my outstretched hand and instead pulled me into an almost suffocating hug. Who would have guessed that this small, elderly woman had so much strength? "It was _our_ pleasure to meet such a sweet friend of Jay's. Please call in next time you're around, will you? We can have dinner together, and we'll tell you some lovely stories about our little boy."

"I-I will." I promised, knowing all too well that it wouldn't be for at least another year.

"Oh, we will have beautiful grandchildren." Edna gushed to her husband as they watched us walk away.

"I am very sorry about my parents." Jay sheepishly rubbed his neck. "They can be very embarrassing sometimes..."

"I thought they were absolutely lovely." I retorted. "You are incredibly lucky to still have them." This came out slightly sharper than I had intended to.

"I-I'm sorry, Nya." He apologised. "I didn't want to upset you... I hope I haven't ruined our evening."

"It's okay." I gently took his hand into mine. "I can see that you love them, but you shouldn't take them for granted. They won't be around forever..."

"I guess you are right." Jay answered. "I don't always appreciate them, but I wouldn't be where I am now, if it weren't for them. And I can't imagine what it would be like without them..."

"Believe me, you _really_ don't want to know." I mumbled. "And I hope you won't have to experience it for a long time to come. Promise me, you'll appreciate them more."

"I promise." He shyly glimpsed at me, worried that I was still upset with him. "A-are we okay now?"

"Of course, we are." I gave him an encouraging smile. "I don't want to waste this night arguing, so why don't you show me that great and _scary_ invention of yours?"

"A-are you sure you want to see it?" He asked. "It's not as impressive as the Ferris Wheel in _your_ Ignacia."

"I think it will be a lot more impressive because you've designed and built it yourself, just from your observations."

Jay led me back to the palace. In the courtyard was the Ferris Wheel (I wondered if you'd still call it a _Ferris_ Wheel, even if it was mainly made out of wood) I had seen on the drawing at the museum. There was a huge crowd gathered in front of it, but Jay just pushed through until we were standing right in front of the black-haired, spectacled man who I assumed to be Jay's partner Dr Borg.

"Jay, my boy." The other inventor excitedly greeted my friend. "I hope you've come to take over for me. The people are crazy about our _Sky Wheel_ , and I'm in desperate need of a little break."

"Well, we..." Jay started but I was quick to interrupt him. "We'd be delighted to."

"Oh, great, thank you so much." Dr Borg didn't even acknowledge my presence as he rushed away rather urgently.

"Are you sure this is how you want to spend this evening?" Jay asked.

"I really don't mind, I'm very curious to see how this actually works." I replied. "And I think he _really_ needed a break for... you know."

"Oh, I see." Jay blushed. "I didn't think of _that_. Hopefully, he'll be back soon then."

"So, tell me, Mr Walker, what do I need to do?" I winked at him.

While he was operating the ride, Jay explained me how they had constructed it and how the mechanics worked. It was absolutely fascinating although, being a blacksmith's daughter, I probably would have done a few things differently, mainly by using more metal parts.

I realised that I both understood and enjoyed his explanations, so maybe engineering could be something for me as well. I was definitely going to have a look into these courses.

When Dr Borg returned, visibly relieved, Jay quickly introduced us before we were allowed to take turn on the wheel as well.

Yes, it wasn't as fast or as high as the one we had been on the previous year - and defintely not scary - but I preferred the view over the old Ignacia compared to the modern town.

When we were at the very top, Dr Borg stopped the ride so that we had a moment to ourselves. I secretly took another picture of the palace with my phone before Jay grabbed it from my hands. "So, how does this selfie work?" He asked.

I leaned against him so he could put his arm around me.

"First, you flip the camera, then you just hold it away. When you're happy with the view, just tap here."

"Oh, I'm very happy with the view." He smirked. And just as I had done earlier, he briefly kissed my blushing cheek just as he took the picture.

There wasn't much time left – according to Misako, I needed to be back in my timeline before the end of the _Day of the Departed_ , i.e. by midnight – when we got down from the wheel, but still enough for a quick peek into the palace. We decided not to risk wasting any time by getting rejected at the main entrance, so we went through a small door at the back of the building, which led us into the cellar.

"This way leads to the treasure chamber." Jay pointed at one of the corridors. "But you didn't hear that from me, okay?"

"Didn't hear _what_?" I feigned ignorance, causing us both to break into cheerful laughter that was echoed back and amplified by the stony cellar walls as we took a different path through the dark.

We climbed up a few stairs and then went through another door, to find ourselves in a bright and very luxurious room.

"This is the Drawing Room." Jay explained. "It is the room where Cole usually accepts his guests."

Almost everything in the room was kept in white and golden colours – from the Carrara marble fireplace to the golden sofas, and even in the silk lining some of the walls. Only the thick red and golden carpets covering the wooden floor provided a nice contrast.

On the wall just behind us, large mirrors were set in golden frames, the secret door was hidden behind one of these.

Through the windows, one had a marvellous view over the courtyard. And apparently we were not the only ones enjoying this sight, as we noticed some people standing on the balcony outside.

"What I they notice us, we-we shouldn't be here." I whispered, nervously clenching Jay's hand and trying to pull him back into the secret passage. I couldn't get arrested and kept here. But my companion didn't look bothered at all.

"Then I get to introduce you to my best friend and his fiancée." He replied, grinning widely as he pulled me into the room instead.

"Cole." He called. "Are you hiding from your noble duties again?"

When he stepped into the room and hugged my friend, I immediately recognised the black-haired man, although he was dressed differently – in an elegant dinner suit entirely made from black silk – and looked even younger than on the portrait.

I hoped this meant that in this timeline, the _incident_ wasn't going to happen for a few more years. When I was back home, I would need to find out when exactly it was...

"I am just showing Sel the view, it is her first _Day of the Departed_ in Ignacia."

A young woman followed him inside, she was very beautiful, despite her rather unusual pink hair. Her smoke grey dress fell down to the floor, accentuating her slim female curves.

"Lady Seliel." Jay bowed to her, and I clumsily copied him.

"What are _you_ doing here? Trying to impress your girlfriend?" The Lord Nicholas smirked at Jay. He then turned to me and kissed my hand. "Lord Pierre-Nicholas Brookstone III, but please call me Cole. Delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss..."

"Nya Smith." I answered. "It is a honour to meet you, Sir Cole and Lady Seliel."

"I am new in town, so the pleasure is all mine. I am very happy to meet some new friends." Seliel gave me a friendly smile. I really wished I could be her friend.

"Smith?" Cole curiously gazed at me. "Are you by any chance related to that mad blacksmith who lives up the hill?"

I was wondering how my ancestor had gained this kind of reputation, but of course I couldn't ask Cole about that. So, I shook my head. "No, it is a rather common name, Sir. I am from... a different part of Ninjago, and only visiting your beautiful town for tonight."

"Well, you've found the perfect guy to spend the evening with."

I suppressed a little giggle, Cole was the third person to advertise my friend's qualities to me tonight. Luckily nobody noticed as the Duke's son playfully nudged Jay. "I hope you've been a good ambassador of our town."

"Oh, he definitely has." I confirmed.

"Glad to hear that." Cole smiled. "Now, you must excuse us, please. My father wants to see Sel and I dance, and I don't want him to send the guards after us." He chuckled. "Or worse, my tutor Sensei Yang. But you are more than welcome to join us in the Grand Hall, of course."

Taking his fiancée's gloved hand into his, Cole left the Drawing Room and headed to the Grand Hall where the formal reception and ball were taking place.

"I wish I didn't have to leave now, I really would have loved to dance with you." I told Jay.

"Yes, me too." He sighed.

"Maybe next time?" I suggested hopefully. "If you want to meet again next year, that is..."

"Of course, I do." He exclaimed. "But I would also be really interested in visiting your town again. What about we alternate between our times?"

"Sounds good to me." I agreed. "I'll organise something for us to do next year. So... this is goodbye again?"

"Oh, I'm not staying here without you." Jay said. "I'll walk you back to the foot of the hill."

"You're making sure you'll get rid of me for another year?" I joked in an attempt to hide my own upset.

"I'd _never_ do that." He replied in all seriousness. "But I want to make sure your brother doesn't have to worry about you."

On the way, we collected the bag from Antonia's cart, and I even got a little bag of mixed treats to take home.

"It's a shame you're gonna miss the fireworks at midnight." Jay said to me as our steps got slower the closer we came to our parting point.

"I'll watch the fireworks back at my place and think of you." I said.

"And I'll do the same from here." He promised.

"Jay... can I ask you something?"

"Sure, as long as it's not about those stories my parents mentioned earlier..."

"What did Cole mean when he talked about the 'mad blacksmith'?" I questioned.

"Oh, that guy's a bit crazy, he keeps warning people about ghosts that are planning to take over Nijago and will kill us all." Jay laughed. "He probably just wants people to buy all these weird weapons he's made – he calls them aeroblades and claims that they are one of only two means to defeat ghosts. Of course, he won't tell us what the second way is, because it's probably something very simple and cheap..."

"What if he's right?" I wondered, remembering my father's stories and Misako's tales. If I could just give him a little warning, that couldn't be considered as cheating, right?

"Ah, there's no such thing as ghosts." Jay protested.

"Yeah, just like there's no such thing as time travel." I reminded my friend from the 19th century.


	5. Chapter 4 (2017)

**I had a rather stressful last week and didn't get much writing done - so while I am still on schedule with** _ **this**_ **update, I might not be able to finish and post the other chapters on time... but I'll try my best!**

 **Review Replies:**

 **RandomDragon2.0 - One of them does ;). But they will both play an important role in future chapters!**

 **PrairieSkies - Thanks! Jay and Cole are my BroTP so had to include them here :).**

 **Bookkeeper2004 - Good plan ;). And here's more JAYAAA.  
**

 **The Trickiest One - Awww, thank you so much for that!**

* * *

Chapter 4 (2017)

"Enjoying the view?"

I wasn't sure how I felt – relieved, elated, nervous, maybe bit of everything – when I _finally_ heard Jay's voice calling through the mist.

This evening I had again been the first one up _Haunted Hill_. Hoping that I wouldn't stay the only one, I had sat down on a small rock, keeping my eyes fixed at on the path that, tonight only, was leading down into 'old Ignacia' and that was hopefully going to lead my auburn haired friend here.

Under other circumstances I could have said I was looking straight ahead into the _distance,_ but in this foggy night it simply wasn't possible to see very far.

So, the answer to Jay's question was _no_ \- although it certainly made me happy to see him finally break through the curtain of mist, carrying the same jute bag that I had given him the year before.

I can't remember who hugged whom first or for how long we stayed like this, silently tightly embracing each other, but it doesn't really matter. In fact, this was the one night of the year where _time_ just didn't matter at all.

"I've been wondering," said Jay, when we broke apart, "up here, are we actually in your timeline, or mine."

I shrugged. "It's impossible to tell; with all the fog you just can't see anything that's happening in the town below us." Whichever Ignacia it was.

"So it's almost as if we're in _both_ timelines at once..." He remarked.

"Which means we're like Schrödinger's cat..." I mumbled, remembering the advanced physics classes from my final year of High School.

"What's that?" Jay asked interestedly. "What does a cat have to do with time travel?"

"Oh, it's something we've talked about at school." I explained. "It is a thought experiment involving a cat inside a box, which is dead _and_ alive at the same time..."

"Hey, that's just like me in our respective times." Jay joked, but I didn't feel like laughing at all.

"Please don't say that." I begged as I desperately clenched his hand.

"Hey." He gently caressed my cheek with his free hand. "I really didn't want to upset you, but-" He shrugged. "-that's just the way it is..."

Yes, of course there was no way he couldn't be dead in _my_ timeline, but I knew that in his own Jay Walker wasn't going to die peacefully of old age... and I simply didn't want to lose him.

In summer, I had successfully graduated from High School. Before starting college – I had indeed decided to do an engineering program – in my hometown just a few weeks ago, I had done a voluntary internship at the Ninjago Museum of History. During that time, I had become good friends with Misako Garmadon.

I had of course told her about my second ' _date'_ with Jay. While she was convinced that it _was_ fate that had made us meet, she also agreed that I couldn't tell him – _yet –_ about what was going to happen in his timeline, especially when I'd mentioned how the people of old Ignacia were making fun of my ancestor and considered him to be crazy, just because he tried to warn them about the ghosts.

I still didn't know which exact year it was in Jay's timeline, but there were a few clues – for example, Cole had introduced me to his fiancée, but they had still to be married and have a child before _it_ would happen.

And I sincerely hoped that it wouldn't be for a long time...

I forced a little smile. "I understand." I said sadly. "I just wish there was a way to see you more than only once a year."

"Yeah, me too." Jay agreed. And for a brief moment, I had the impression there was something else he wanted to tell me, but he didn't. And then, that moment had passed.

Silently, we lit the lantern together for our both ancestors – but deep in my heart, I knew that I was also doing it for Jay and his parents. Watching the lantern rise up, I snuggled into his chest and, as I felt his arms around me and inhaled his warm and comforting scent of milk and honey, I slowly felt myself relaxing.

I didn't want to let anything ruin this evening, I would have 364 _other_ days to worry and come up with a solution to our situation, but my only concern right now should be whether or not Jay was going to like my plans for tonight.

I honestly would have preferred to simply go to the fun fair again, just like we had done two years ago, but he had been so fascinated by... well, _everything_ that I wanted to show him something else they didn't have in the old days.

My first idea had been to go to the cinema, but tonight they were only showing _Day of the Departed_ -themed film tonight, and I didn't want Jay's first – and well possibly the only – cinematic experience ever to be an R-rated horror movie.

So instead, we were going to a party at my friend Chamille's house. Although I had graduated early and was now a college student at University College Ignacia (UCI), in my free time I was still hanging out with my old friends who were in their final year of High School.

And after I had missed it for two years in a row, these friends had been pestering me for weeks about attending their party tonight. But they didn't know I was not coming on my own.

"Oh, I have no idea how you do that, but when I saw you up here, you've somehow made me forget about these..." Jay blushed as he picked up the bag he had dropped earlier. "I've got some treats for you from Antonia. I told her I'm seeing you tonight."

"Thanks." I smiled. "How is she doing?"

"Great." He replied. "She started working at the palace kitchen a few moths ago." _No_. "She was initially only hired on a temporary basis when they needed extra help to prepare Cole and Seliel's wedding." _No again_. "But the head cook was so happy with my cousin that she now has a permanent position."

"Great." I tried to sound excited, but this wasn't good news at all... "Well, I've got something for you as well."

Of course, Jay couldn't go in his regular clothes, and luckily he hadn't grown too much over the last year, so the clothes I had _borrowed_ from my brother's wardrobe should hopefully fit him.

My friend first inspected the blue jeans and red T-shirt he took from the plastic bag I had handed him, and then he gave me a quizzical look.

"Try them." I said, causing his face to turn deep red.

"Wha-what? Y-you mean _here_?" He spluttered.

"Of course not. Maybe over there." I gave him an encouraging smile. "I promise I won't look."

"O-okay." Jay took the clothes and went to change behind a large rock I had pointed out to him. When he re-appeared, my jaw dropped.

 _Crap_.

Jay. Looked. Awesome. Sure, I had always found him handsome and charming, but right now he was simply hot.

Although red wasn't exactly his colour - unfortunately, there hadn't really been any alternatives in my brother's wardrobe - the slim T-shirt turned out to be a perfect choice, as it showed the carpenter's muscular arms and emphasised his athletic upper body. And don't even get me started on his bottoms...

"These aren't very practical." He complained, gesturing at the tight-fitting trousers. "How are you supposed to actually _work_ in these?"

"Oh, you aren't." I replied. "But they look great on you."

Not that I was staring.

I took a picture of Jay with my phone and showed it to him. "Here. Dressed to impress." I winked at him.

"I look so... different." He stated.

"Good or bad?"

"I don't know." He answered. "It just doesn't feel like _me_ , but if _you_ like it."

"I do, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No, no, it's fine." He quickly reassured me. "I'm just not used to these kind of clothes."

Jay packed all his own belongings into the bag and hid it behind the rock. He then put on Kai's black leather jacket and held out his hand. "Let's go." My friend chuckled. "Well, wherever that is you're taking me."

Of course, he did become slightly nervous when I told him our destination. "We can leave at _any_ time." I reassured him. "So whenever you want to go, just tell me, okay?"

"S-sure." Jay nodded.

As we approached at Chamille's house, I could see – and the whole neighbourhood could hear – that, although it was still early in the evening, the party was already in full swing.

I gave Jay's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, these are my friends, and they are really nice."

 _Well, most of them._

We reached the house and I was just about to know when the door flew open. "Nya." _No._ I inwardly groaned. Out of all the people I had _not_ wanted to meet tonight, Dareth had been pretty much top of the list. "So glad you came, _babe_."

His face fell when he saw the other (and way more attractive, I must say) boy standing next to me. "And... you've brought... someone." He added, in a less than enthusiastic voice but he nevertheless grabbed my hand and pulled me inside the house. My other hand held tightly onto Jay's so he had no choice but to follow.

"Hi Dareth." I replied politely. "Please, meet my friend Jay. He is a guest student from Jamanakai College. He's only here for a couple of days and doesn't really know anyone, so I thought I'd bring him here. Jay, this is nobody of importance." I added.

But Dareth had either not understood my insult or decided to ignore it as he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. "Yeah, baby. Let's show the boy how _we_ party in Ignacia."

"No, thank you." I freed myself from his tentacle and took a step away from him, closer towards my nervous friend from the past. "Where's Cami?" I enquired, wanting to introduce my 'plus one' to the host.

"Oh, she and Ash are upstairs, her family is away for tonight so the two are having some _fun_ in her parents' bedroom." Dareth winked at me.

Jay turned beet red; the poor guy was really getting a 'great' first impression of my former classmates. I was starting to regret my decision to bring him here.

"No need to be embarrassed, that's what everyone does." Dareth laughed at my friend. "Geez, what century are you from?"

To this day, the idiot has no idea how close he accidentally got to the truth that moment. But I really didn't feel like continuing this conversation, so I pulled Jay away away to greet my _actual_ friends.

As we removed our jackets to leave them in the hall, I noticed quite a few people whispering while looking at us. Although blue was my favourite colour, I had made sure my own outfit matched the shade of my brother's t-shirt, so I was wearing an elegant bright red silk cheongsam dress underneath my old blue parka.

As at most parties, the majority of guests were gathered in the kitchen. But, as expected, we found Skylor as well as Zane and PIXAL in the more quiet living room, occupying two sofas as they were talking to each other. My best friend was one of the few single girls present, so she had probably been hiding from Dareth's advances.

"Nya, so great you came." She jumped up to greet me. Her eyes then fell on Jay and our entwined hands. "You cheeky woman." She whispered to me. "How long have you had a boyfriend and not told your _bestie_?"

"He's not my boyfriend." I whispered back before I announced. "Jay, this is Skylor, my friend."

" _Best_ friend." She emphasised.

"Since kindergarten. And these are Zane and PIXAL." I added, before I told Jay's fake backstory to them. And unlike _other_ people, all three of them were really nice to him, so the five of us sat down again to talk and, mostly in Jay's case, enjoying the different kinds of snacks served at the party.

A bit later, Chamille and her boyfriend re-emerged from upstairs, so Jay and I went to the kitchen to say hi to them.

"How do you like it so far?" I asked. "You're okay to stay a bit longer?"

"Yes, it's fine." He said. "I like your friends, they are nice."

As were Chamille and Ash, but I could tell that Jay doesn't enjoy being the centre of attention. And he looked rather uncomfortable in the overcrowded room. Not that I like it too much either myself.

"It's way too loud in here, I can hardly hear a word." I therefore claimed. "Shall we head back to the living room?"

Jay let out a relieved sigh. "I'd like that." He smiled at me.

"You can wait in the hall, while I just get a couple of drinks for us." I suggested. "What would you like?"

"Uhm, a glass of this sweet fizzy orange water, please. And could you maybe get some more of those cheese and onion flavoured thingies?" He requested. I made a mental note to add a pack of crisps to his goodie bag for next year. But I didn't make it to the buffet before...

"Hey, babe." And here he was again. "So, Cami and Ash are back, what about you and I go upstairs now?" Dareth winked at me.

"No, thank you." I declined firmly. "I case you haven't noticed I am not interested, and I already have a date."

"And from the way he's reacted earlier, I bet the loser has never tried anything with you."

"No, he is way to polite." I answered. "And he's _not_ a loser."

"No." Dareth laughed. "He _definitely_ hasn't lost it yet."

"And?" I snapped. "I don't think that's any of _your_ business. And neither am I."

"But it looks like you're none of _his_ business either." Dareth laughed. "Your date has just left."

"What?" I gasped. No, he must have heard what Dareth said about him. "You absolute moron, you've ruined _everything_. Why can't you see that I want you to leave me alone?"

I pushed through the crowd. Skylor, who had witnessed the scene through the open door, wordlessly handed me my coat as well as the leather jacket that Jay had left behind, and gave me a hug.

I assumed (and hoped) that he had gone in the same direction that we had come from earlier, so this was where I ran as well.

"Jay, wait." I called when I spotted the red shirt.

He stopped and turned around. "Nya, what are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing?" I asked back, handing him the black jacket. "Why did you leave?"

He blushed. "I-I didn't want to be in the way..."

"Oh, please. I would _never_ sleep with Dareth, even if he was the last person in Ninjago." I stated.

"I'm relieved to hear that, you deserve a lot better than him." He let out a little nervous chuckle. "But... the courting rituals in your time are a lot different compared to mine. People are so... direct."

"Oh, not everyone is as straightforward as Dareth. And it's not like his strategy is particularly successful..." I laughed. "He's an idiot."

"Maybe." Jay looked down. "But... he _was_ right about me."

I cupped his red glowing cheeks with my hands and lifted his face until he was looking right into my eyes.

"No, he was _definitely_ wrong, because you're _anything_ but a loser." I said softly.

"But he..."

"And as for the other part, don't listen to him. Not _everybody_ does it." I interrupted him. "I personally think there's nothing wrong about waiting. And neither should you." I looked him straight in his eyes. "Or do you think _I_ am a loser?"

"You?" He shook his head. "No, you're the most amazing person I've ever met."

"And so are you." I smiled at him. But Jay averted my gaze and sighed. He had the same expression on his face that I had seen earlier. Something _was_ wrong, I was sure about that now.

I placed my hand on his arm. "What's the matter?" I asked.

"Nya." He swallowed. "I-I don't know how to tell you this... after tonight, we can't see each other again."

"Why?" I asked, my eyes welling with tears. "After what you've just said, why don't you want to see me again?"

"Oh, believe me, I _want_ to." He said. "But... I'm 19 years now and in my final year of my apprenticeship, and after that... people are expecting me to take over my father's business and... get married."

 _No_. My heard dropped. "When?" I croaked out. "Have you already found someone..."

I remembered how everyone I had met last year was telling me what a great guy Jay is. Not that I disagreed, but now I couldn't help but wonder if they did that to every girl they saw with him.

"I haven't." He shook his head. "It's not like it it has to happen tomorrow. My dad is still enjoying his work and Mr Borg would like to keep me as his assistant, so I can put it off for another year or maybe even two. B-but I-I wanted to tell you about this before I would even _consider_ marrying another woman." He let out a little laugh. "I know it's weird, but it would have felt like I'm betraying you."

And I would have felt betrayed – actually, I still did, not by Jay though. _Life_ just wasn't fair.

I felt some tears escaping my eyes. And Jay had noticed them as well for he gently brushed them away with his thumb. "Jay, I..."

"But it will need to happen eventually." He stated. "A-and that's why I _can't_ see you again. Because even if I get to see you only once a year, I can't stop _thinking_ about you for the rest of the time. For the last year, I've counted down the _hours_ until I'd see you tonight. And the more time I spend with you, the more I fall in love with you, and we can never..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence as I pressed my lips onto his.

His eyes briefly widened in surprise before they fluttered close, and as he kissed me back, I closed my eyes as well. And we just enjoyed the moment as we tried to forget where – or _when_ – we were and that things were never going to work out for us.

"I love you too." I whispered, when we eventually broke apart.

We spent the rest of the evening the way doing what we should have done right from the start, strolling hand in hand through the city, sharing some cotton candy and riding on the Ferris Wheel at the Fun Fair. I regretted having wasting precious time by dragging Jay to my friends' party, but Jay ensured me that it had not been lost time, as he had been able to meet my best friends. And he was actually grateful to Dareth who had to some extend been responsible for us admitting our feelings to each other.

Not wanting to lose any precious minute of the night, I walked up the hill with Jay. Before we said goodbye, he changed back into his old clothes, but I insisted he'd keep at least the jeans and T-shirt. Kai surely wasn't going to miss those.

"So, what are we going to do?" I asked. "What are _you_ going to do?"

"I don't know." Jay said. "I will definitely need to talk to my parents and inform them that I'm going to accept Mr Borg's offer to stay with him, and that I need more time before I'll take over my dad's business and start a family."

"And they'll understand?" I remembered Edna talking about future grandchildren.

"I think so." He answered. "Sure, they want me to eventually do all these things - and they can't wait to have grandchildren - but most of all they want me to be happy. And... they really liked you - they wouldn't say those things to _everyone_. So, I'll tell them the truth - well, sort of - that I love you and I am not ready to let go of you _yet_."

"So, we'll still see each other next year?" I asked hopefully.

Sure, one day, I would have to let go, but as long as this wasn't today...

"Let's just take it from one year to the next." Jay agreed. He smiled. "Even if I _never_ saw you again, I now wouldn't be able to stop thinking about you anyway. But if _you_ change your mind and..."

"That won't happen." I stated firmly. "I will be here."

"And so will I." He promised. "And I already know what we're going to do next year, for it it's going to be a very special _Day of the Departed_ in _my_ time _._ There will be a rare lunar eclipse over Ninjago, which only occurs every 3,721 years."

 _The Yin-Yang Eclipse my father has told us children about. That means..._

But my thoughts were interrupted when Jay kissed me again.

On the way home, I could still feel his soft lips on mine, taste the mix of cheese and onion crisps and raspberry cotton candy on my tongue.

It was a cold night, so I was wearing my brother's leather jacket over my own. I smiled when I realised that it smelled a bit like Kai and a bit like Jay.

I was going to keep it.

And there was something else I was going to do. It had taken us so much time and trouble to get to where we were now, and I was not going to let anyone or anything – not even a ghost – take Jay away from me again.


	6. Chapter 5 (2018)

**With this chapter, you may notice a small change in the writing style - I've just gotten used to writing 1st person POV in the past tense, and now I'm going to switch to present tense (but still Nya's POV)** 😉 **.**

 **This chapter contains an OC. Lillian's name was a suggestion by BlackNblue_Dragon** **(who actually didn't know what role the character would have).**

 **Review Reply for Chapter 4:**

 **RandomDragon2.0 - Yes, it is :). And you'll see parts of her plan in action in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 5 (2018)

For the umpteenth - and the final – time on this evening, I go through my list of items, making sure I've packed everything, before I close my diary and also add it to my backpack. I can't risk _anyone_ , not even Kai, finding out, should things go wrong tonight.

I sit down on my bed and cuddle my dragon plushie as I look around my room for what could well be the last time, taking in every little detail of the place that has been my home for the last five years.

The walls are covered with pictures of my friends, on the nightstand, however, there is only an empty frame now, whereas the photo of young Kai and I is safely stored between the pages of my diary.

I give the huge dragon another hug before I set it down on the duvet and place the note right in front of it.

It is time.

I get up, take my backpack and leave the room. In the hall, I briefly check my reflection in the mirror - I am again wearing my mother's old dress and my long hair is pulled back in a high ponytail – and slip into my old but still favourite blue parka.

As Kai is now working as a blacksmith apprentice in Domu, I live on my own in our apartment. When I spoke to him on the phone earlier today, I told my brother I love him, but I still wish I could have said seeing him face to face and given him a proper hug. I'm definitely going to to that the next time I'll see him.

I lock the door and hide the keys at the bottom of my bag. As I walk down the stairs, I have to force myself not to look back but instead focus at the task in front of me.

The sun is just starting to set down when I reach the foot of _Haunted Hill_. Again, I climb up the narrow path, shivering both from the cold and in anticipation, and it is also for both reasons that I accelerate my steps.

Just as I reach the top of the hill, I see a figure break through the mist from the other side.

"Nya?" I hear the familiar voice call out for me, he must have spotted me as well.

"Jay!" I shout back, and start running towards him.

He drops the bag he's carrying and does the same.

As soon as we reach each other, I jump into his arms and kiss him. Sure, we don't have any time to lose tonight, but _this_ is anything but wasting time.

And he seems to feel the same, for he holds me close in his strong arms and passionately kisses me back.

When we break apart, I rest my head against his chest.

"I've missed you." I mumble, listening to his strong heartbeat.

"I've missed you too." He replies, his face buried in my hair. "I love you so much, Nya."

I tilt my head to smile at him. "I love you too." I say.

Jay must have guessed the question burning on my mind. "I've talked to my parents, and they understood." He tells me as he gently sets me down. "They were actually proud of me for not wanting to rush into anything I'd regret for the rest of my life. Turned out my dad did the same; he refused to get married - until he met my mum."

"Awww, they're _so_ sweet." I reply.

"They are." He smiles fondly, not the slightest bit embarrassed. It makes me really happy to see how much Jay's relationship with his parents has improved since that night two years ago. "And they would love to see you, they're at the palace – well, not inside, of course. The Duke's ball is only for his family and guests, but to celebrate this special, there is also a concert at the courtyard for the people of Ignacia, with free drinks and snack and the opportunity to watch the eclipse and the fireworks from there. Oh, there's _so_ much you have to see. Cole and Seliel had a little boy, they've made me his godfather – well, one of them."

"I'd really like all that too." I answer, sad that I have to dampen his enthusiasm. "But, it can't be tonight. We need to get going."

"What? Now?" Jay gives me a quizzical look. "But... what about the lantern?"

"Our ancestors will understand." I state. _But if we don't act now, we'll be joining them in the Departed Realm rather sooner than later..._

"Jay, listen." I lock my eyes with his. "Something bad is going to happen. Something _really_ bad." I swallow. "Remember the ruins of the palace in my timeline?"

He nods. "Yeah, you've mentioned it burned down like 200 years ago." His eyes widen in realisation. "You mean...?"

I nod. "Yes. In this time, it's gonna happen tonight. Unless we do something about it."

"We?" He questions. "H-how?"

"According to the official version, the fire broke out because of some fireworks gone wrong." I explain. "But there's a group of people, including some very respectable historians, who believe that it was actually caused by ghosts who had managed to escape from the _Cursed Realm_ on the night of the Yin-Yang Eclipse. They were looking for the Realm Crystal to open a portal between the _Cursed Realm_ and Ninjago. And this magical artefact is hidden inside the Duke's palace."

"And you believe this story?"

"My family has always had a connection with the supernatural." I recall what Misako has told me during our first meeting. "The crazy – or maybe _not_ so crazy – blacksmith is my ancestor, and I am certain that you and I, we have met for a reason. And this reason is _not_ to make us miserable for the rest of our lives because we can't be together, but because we have a chance to stop this attack..."

Following our previous meeting, I've spent months contemplating my options. I could do nothing and just let things happen - definitely _not_ an option. I could try to at least save Jay and convince him to spend the evening in my timeline. But that might be a bit tricky as he was so excited about the eclipse. And even if I succeeded, what then? Jay would lose his friends, his family, his home, his job. He wouldn't have anything left in his time, and he just doesn't belong in mine. Also, chances are, he would hate me for not telling him the truth. I've not fallen in love with a man who would save his own life at the expense of everybody else's. Which has left me with only one option: to ignore everything I've ever learned about time travel.

It can't be any more wrong to alter the past using my knowledge from the future than ghosts using this special night to curse Ninjago, or at least try to. And Misako has agreed with me. All her life, she has studied the history of Ninjago, including the legends and prophecies associated with it. And ghosts from the Cursed Realm taking over our home has _never_ been a part of any of them.

Yes, over the last year, I've been in contact with the friendly woman. She knows what I'm about to do, and she has encouraged me and even helped with my preparations.

Jay, on the other hand, still doesn't know _all_ parts of the story. And I need to change that now. "Because if we don't, the palace as well as parts of the city of Ignacia will be destroyed. And everyone inside the building will die."

"Everyone?" Jay's face pales and his eyes widen in realisation. "Including..."

"Yes, including Cole, his wife, their baby, your parents, your cousin, and-" I swallow as tears are pooling in my eyes. "-and _you_."

I can tell that my boyfriend is about to freak out, so I quickly wrap my arms around his shaking body and pull him into a comforting hug. "But I'm not gonna let this happen." I cry into his shirt. "I can't lose you."

"B-but how are _we_ going to stop them?" Jay asks, his voice shaking but determined, as his tears are falling into my hair.

I slowly loosen my grip and pull away to look him in the eyes.

"Do you trust me?" I ask.

He gives me a little smile. "With my life." Which is _exactly_ what is on the line here.

"First, we need to get some weapons. Can you take me to the blacksmith shop?" Of course, I will never forget the location of my parents' workshop _,_ but _this_ Ignacia is different to mine, and I don't want to lose my way in a street that just doesn't exist anymore in the future.

Jay opens his mouth to object, but he has promised to follow my lead, so he doesn't say anything. Instead he takes my hand and leads me down his side of _Haunted Hill._ But instead of heading right into the city, we turn left and leave Ignacia through the western town gate.

From the outside, the _Four Weapons_ looks almost the same as it does in my time. It is a pretty traditional two-story building on top of a small hill. The only difference I can make out in the dark are the tiles on the roof which appear to be black, whereas the ones on our house were of a light brown colour. And the front entrance is closed, which has never happened at my childhood home. But through the window, we can see the lights are on in the main room.

We slowly approach the building and I take a deep breath as I raise my hand to knock on the wooden door.

I haven't visited the _Four Weapons_ since Kai and I were forced to give it up. I've never wanted to see a stranger live and work at _our_ home. _But_ this _blacksmith actually belongs here._ I remind myself. _And he is a member of my family. Or rather, I am a descendant of his._

I feel Jay giving my other hand a little squeeze, and I turn my head to smile at him as I knock.

Soft footsteps are approaching the door.

"The shop is closed now." A female voice informs us. "Please come back tomorrow."

"I am very sorry to disturb you at this time, but we really need to see Mr Smith please." I reply. "It is important. We need to purchase a couple of weapons. And tomorrow will be too late."

A few weeks ago, I took money out of my college fund and used it to buy some old gold coins. Misako has assured me that these are worth a lot in this time.

The woman unlocks the door and slides it to the side, just far enough to take a look at us.

And while we can't see much of her, I immediately know who she is. Her eyes are of same unusual shade of amber as my brother's. And our father's. And my grandmother's...

"Who is it, sweetheart?" A male voice asks from inside.

"Two kids." She answers. "They want to buy some weapons. I think the boy works at the palace. But I haven't seen the girl before."

"My name is Nya Smith." I say. "And I am your great-great-granddaughter." **[I know it should be more generations - about 7 or 8 'great's – between them but I'm not gonna write them all...]**

"Let her in." A third, again male, voice calls.

"That's Sensei Wu." Jay nervously whispers to me. "What's he doing here?"

The woman opens the door. I now see she is protectively holding a little bundle in her arms.

"Come inside." She says sharply. "Don't forget to wipe your feet."

As we enter the room, we see two men are sitting at the table.

One of them has his back turned to us, so the only distinct feature visible to us is his shaggy auburn hair. He is apparently doing something to the other's face.

Although I can consequently only see his right half, I recognise that person as an older man with bright white hair and a long white beard – I inwardly smile as I recall Jay's description of the Duke's astronomer.

We wait until the first man eventually pulls away from him and turns around. He is a lot younger than Sensei Wu, probably in his thirties, and he looks like he has neither slept nor shaved for a couple of days, telling by the stubble on his face and the dark ring under his left eye. Yes, only his left eye for a brown leather patch is covering the right one.

But it's not _his_ appearance that has made Jay and I's jaws fall.

We can now see that the astronomer is badly injured. Wu has a deep purple bruise covering the left side of his face, and he is sporting a massive cut on his forehead. A bloody cloth as well as a bottle of alcohol are on the table in front of them, suggesting that the blacksmith was cleaning the wounds when Jay and I arrived.

"Sensei Wu?" My friend gasps. "What happened to you?"

"I failed." The elderly man says. But the he smiles at me. "But it doesn't matter, because _you_ won't."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

"Please, sit down." The other man gestures at the two empty chairs opposite them. "It's a long story."

As we take the offered seats, the woman also joins the two men on the other side of the table, sitting down between them.

"We should start by introducing each other." The old man begins. "I've already heard quite a bit about you, _Nya_."

Jay blushes but Wu continues undeterred.

"So, it is only fair that I will now tell you my story now. My name is Wu Garmadon, and I was born in Ignacia in 1968."

"So, you're from my time?" I conclude. "Are you by any chance related to Misako Garmadon?"

"Misako Garmadon..." Wu smiles. "That wasn't her name when I last saw her, but I am glad to hear that my brother did eventually manage to pop the question."

"How long have you lived here?" I want to know.

"A long time." Wu replies. "It was many, many years ago, in the night on the _Day of the Departed_ that I lost my way on _Haunted Hill_ , and I ended up in this time."

"When I was a child, my dad always told us stories about children who lost their way in the fog and never were found." I remarked.

He narrows his eyes. "I can clearly see that you're Ray and Maya's daughter, aren't you?"

I nod.

"The blacksmith's daughter." A little smile appears on his lips. "When I was young, Ray Smith was my best friend. But I wasn't a child when I got here, just a rather childish young man of twenty-two. And slightly intoxicated after some _Day of the Departed_ celebrations..."

"Father." The woman gasps. Wait, if she's his daughter, that makes Wu my ancestor...

"Oh, it has been a while, my dear." He gently pats her hand. "I surely learned my lesson that night. For when I woke up the next morning, I found myself in this town. And, despite my rather piercing headache, I immediately understood that all those legends surrounding _Haunted Hill_ and the _Day of the Departed_ were true."

"And you couldn't get back to your own time." I stated.

"No, I couldn't." Wu agreed. "Of course, I went to look for a way home, but I soon realised that I would have to wait for another year. And I would have to do something during that time to make a living. Which wasn't difficult using my advanced knowledge from the 20th century. Even without spoiling the future, people considered me a wise person and came to me for advice."

"Is that why you didn't return?" I guessed.

"The longer I stayed here, the more I fell in love with _this_ Ignacia – and with the kindest and most beautiful woman I've ever met." Wu replied. "Unfortunately, my dearest Heather is no longer with us, but she gave me the greatest gift I could have ever wished for – Lillian here is my daughter and Ronin is my son-in-law."

He looks me in the eyes. "But there was also a third reason. The same reason that _you_ came here for tonight." He says. "While I was looking through old scrolls in the library, searching for a way home, I stumbled across a prophecy. It was about cursed souls from another Realm who will try to take over Ninjago – and a way to defeat them."

"But Misako said she's never come across anything like that." I interjected. It would have made my decision to alter the past a lot easier, had I known that all this was indeed part of a prophecy.

"Because my younger self accidentally destroyed it." Wu admitted. "So, I felt like it was my duty to stay and stop the attack. I befriended Ronin's father - who was so much like my old friend from my own time. It was him who designed and forged the Aeroblades that I had read about in the prophecy; and I was able to find a position at the palace to keep a close eye on the Duke."

"But then, why are you not there tonight?" Jay questions. "Why aren't you actually doing something to stop them? And what happened to you?"

"That is an excellent question, my friend." Wu answers. "Despite all my efforts, I was still missing one final piece in the puzzle. But I thought that, even if I couldn't stop the attack, I could still try to save the people. So, I went to talk to Sensei Yang, Cole's tutor and one of the Duke's most trusted advisors, only to find that he is the one behind all this. Not him directly, but he has been possessed by one of the ghosts. Of course, he claimed that I am insane and a traitor who wants to ruin the festivities, had me beaten up and thrown out of the palace. The guards have been instructed not to let me back in, at least not _alive_."

"So, there's nothing we can do?" Jay asks, upset.

"No. There's nothing _I_ can do." Wu gives him an encouraging smile before he turns to me. "Because _you_ are the final piece."

"Me?" I gasp as Jay looks at me with both admiration and fear.

"Indeed." The white-haired man laughs. "All these years, I've been trying to find a blacksmith's daughter who will break the curse, only to find it is my best friend's child."

"You've never told us about this." Lillian looks at her father. "I hope you weren't disappointed that Ronin and I had a boy."

"Of course not." Wu takes the sleeping baby from her. "How could anyone be disappointed about this little ray of sunshine?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Ray?"

"I got to choose the name for my first grandson." Wu smiles. "And I think it will going to be a rather popular name in this family. How is your father, by the way?"

Under the table, Jay takes my hand into his and gives it a little squeeze. I swallow. "My parents are dead." I reply.

Wu's face falls. "Th-they... no... h-how?"

"They were killed in a traffic accident five years ago." I explain.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." I can see tears glistening in his swollen eyes. "Are you... on your own?"

"I have an older brother, Kai. He's training to be a blacksmith."

"Keeping the family tradition alive, huh?" Ronin smirks.

"Y-yeah." I just can't tell him we had to sell the shop.

"I wish we could talk longer, but you need to go now." Wu looks at Jay and me.

Ronin gets up. "I'm getting the Aeroblades. Come with me, boy."

He presses a golden gong with our family's symbol to open a hidden trapdoor. As he and Jay disappear in the basement, I take the bag of gold coins from my backpack.

"Here." I hand it to Lillian.

She shakes her head. "I can't take _your_ money, Nya."

But I insist. "Consider it an investment in our family business." I say.

* * *

 **I most likely won't be able to post the next part tomorrow (probably on the day after tomorrow) so I wish you all an early Happy Halloween** 🎃 **!**


	7. Chapter 6 (1818)

**Sorry 'bout the delay with this chapter. Migraine sucks (and also apologies for the language, but there's simply no other way to put it** **).**

 **And I just cannot seem to write fight scenes, so I'm afraid this part is rather short and anti-climatic...**

* * *

Chapter 6 (1818)

When Ronin and Jay reappear from the basement, they are each carrying a stash of strangely shaped dark weapons which slightly resemble three-sided shurikens – just larger and not as flat. The Aeroblades are circular and have three talon-shaped (and just as sharp) points, but due to their dark grey colour, they look rather dull.

When we sold the _Four Weapons_ , Kai and I tried to keep as many documents – drawings, designs, notes, etc. – from the blacksmith shop, so I know that these blades are made from Deepstone, a rare material only found in the Endless Sea.

Ronin passes me one of the weapons. "If Wu's correct, then this one should be the one for you, Nya." He states. As soon as I touch it, the blade starts to glow in a bright light blue colour, and a Phoenix symbol appears on the centre.

"Whoa." Jay first looks at the blade, then at me, amazed.

"Not bad, huh?" Ronin smirks at him. "Here. Try this one."

Jay's blade glows in the same shade of sapphire as his **[yes, I know that he had a golden one in the show]** , and in place of the phoenix, it shows an octopus-like symbol.

While Jay and I are curiously inspecting our new weapons, the blacksmith turns to his wife. "I'm going with them." He tells Lillian. "Take good care of your father and the boy." Ronin places a gentle kiss on the baby's forehead, then he kisses Lillian. "I love you, Lily."

"I love you too." She replies. "Be careful."

"Ah, you know me, sweetheart." He smirks confidently. Even though there must be around eight generations between them, I can see so much of Kai in him – well, it's more like the other way round.

Lillian sighs. "That's the problem..." She protectively hugs her baby as she walks with us outside.

"Let's go, kids." Ronin says. He has put the remaining blades into a large bag that he is carrying over his shoulder.

"Uhm, I just forgot something..." I mumble and quickly rush back inside. As I talk to Wu, I can see Ronin and Jay impatiently waiting for me through the open door.

But this is cannot wait.

"Everything alright?" Jay asks when I return. "What did you talk about?"

"J-just asked him for some advice." I blush, taking his hand into mine as we walk at a brisk, back to the brightly illuminated town. Above us, we can see the full moon starting to glow in an eerie green light - the beginning of the eclipse.

"So, if _this_ is one way to fight the ghosts..." Jay wonders, holding firmly onto his Aeroblade. "What's the second one?"

"Oh, that." Ronin laughs. "It's water."

"I _knew_ it was something simple." Jay shoots him a glare. "You just want to make money of these."

My ancestor shrugs. "One _has_ to make a living. And it's not like these are selling too well anyway." He says. "Also, water may be cheaper, but you will need a lot of it, whereas these babies here are reusable."

He is right. And _I_ know that speaking the truth, as unbelievable as it is, has eventually ruined our family's reputation and business. At least in the other timeline... I'm kind of wondering what will happen if we succeed.

When we arrive at the palace, we avoid the crowd as Jay again leads us to the secret back entrance to the cellar. While the guards may be distracted by the festivities, the ghosts in disguise are probably not.

As we make our way through the dark corridor, memories of my last visit come back.

 _"This way leads to the Treasure Chamber." Jay pointed at one of the corridors. "But you didn't hear that from me, okay?"_

And what was it that Misako told us during the school visit to the museum?

 _"The fire first started in the Treasure Chamber, so all valuables kept in there were destroyed."_

And if you put this together with my father's story...

 _"In the end, the only way to stop the ghosts from cursing all of Ninjago was to destroy the Realm Crystal – and it was the resulting explosion that set fire to the palace, which then also spread to and destroyed many other town buildings of Ignacia."_

"Guys, wait." I exclaim. "We need to make sure the ghosts won't get to the Treasure Chamber, that's where the Realm Crystal is."

"Are you sure?" Jay asks.

"Well, that is where they keep their most valuable items." Ronin remarks.

"And that's where the explosion happened." I explain it to them.

"Alright, I'll take care of this job." Ronin offers. "You too are needed upstairs."

I give him a quick hug. "Whatever happens, they can't get their hands on the crystal before the eclipse is over." _Even if it means we'll get the same outcome again._

"I'll make sure of that, sweetheart." He promises me while handing the bag to Jay. "Now, go."

Jay and I run up the stairs that once again lead us to the Drawing Room, which is empty this time. We slowly – and as elegantly and confidently as we possibly can – enter the Grand Ball Room next to it. In one corner, I see Cole talking to his wife and a few other guests. When spots us, he happily waves at us, inviting us to join them.

"Which one is Sensei Yang?" I whisper to Jay as I take a glass of water from a tray.

"He's the man with the long black beard and the straw hat next to Cole." Jay replies, trying to hide his Aeroblade behind his back as we approach the group.

When Yang's green glowing eyes fall on me, I feel a sudden surge of energy pulsing through my blade. I tighten my grip on both the weapon and the glass. And from the corner of my eyes, I see Jay giving me an encouraging smile.

This is it. The point of no return - but I was never going to back down anyway.

I take a deep breath and, just as Cole is about to greet us, I throw the water into the tutor's face.

Not the best way to make new friends, that's for sure. And for a brief moment, everyone stares at me, their eyes wide open in disbelief, until their expression changes to pure horror when a green translucent figure leaves the tutor's body. As the elderly man collapses onto the ground, the ghost looks me in the eyes.

"Who are you?" He demands, running his hand through his ghostly hair that must have been black with a green streak.

"My name is Nya." I reply, struggling to keep my voice steady - but I cannot show any weakness now. "I am the daughter of Ray and Maya, the _blacksmiths_." I emphasise the last part, even if nobody in this room, except for myself and Jay, know about the prophecy.

" _Nya, the blacksmiths' daughter_." The ghost hisses. "You will regret this. All I wanted was to get the Realm Crystal, but now I'm going to destroy this building and kill you all."

"You would have done that anyway. Because you've already done it." I state firmly. "But _not_ this time."

I don't look away as I slice the blade through him and his ghostly figure dissipates into the air.

At this moment, all hell breaks loose, for an army of ghosts appears - some leaving their hosts, others just loosing their, admittedly convincing, disguise - and they start attacking the remaining guests.

"What's going on here?" Cole grabs my arms and pulls us into a corner behind a marble pillar.

"We'll explain later." Jay says, tossing an orange glowing Aeroblade with a rock symbol to his friend. "Now, let's choppy-sock this lemonade stand."

"What have you done to him?" The Duke's son gives me a confused look.

"Given him a reason to fight." I reply. "And you have more than enough reasons as well. Where is you son – congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you, and he is sleeping in our quarters." He smiles fondly. "Sel, you..."  
"I'm _not_ going to hide away, Cole." She interrupts him harshly. "I'm a warrior."

"I know." Her husband says softly. "And that's one of the many reasons why I love you. And why you're the only one I trust with _his_ safety."

"I understand." She sighs, taking a silver-grey shimmering weapon from Jay, before she turns to her husband to kiss him. "Be safe." She tells him.

"You too."

While Cole and I are fighting back-to-back, Jay distributes the remaining blades among the guards and noblemen. Despite having received some lessons from his friend, my boyfriend is not the strongest fighter, but he is fast and agile, thus he manages to easily dodge the ghosts' attacks on him.

Yet, despite our efforts, the number of ghosts just doesn't seem to go down. For each we defeat, more materialise. But all we have to do is keep them in check – and inside this room – until the eclipse is over.

From outside, we suddenly hear the crowd gasp in amazement as a bright turquoise light falls through the window.

"The Eclipse." Jay concludes. "It must be at its peak." I can see on his face how much he would love to see the Yin-Yang symbol projected onto the moon. As would I, but we need to stay.

"We only have to hold on for a bit longer." I shout to the others as the ghosts are starting to fade. "It's almost over."

Jay's eyes widen. "But... that means it must be almost midnight." He takes my hand and squeezes it. "Nya, you need to go now."

Cole raises his bushy eyebrow. "Why's that?" He asks, slicing another ghost. "Are you Cinderella?"

"Something like that..." I blush. "Just without the glass slippers."

I am wearing sneakers under my long dress, I've never been able to even walk, much less run or fight, in heels.

"I can't leave to go with you, will you find the way to the back exit?" Jay hugs me. "Where's your backpack?"

I shrug. "I left it at the _Four Weapons_."

"There's not gonna be enough time to get it." Jay says. "I'll bring it next year."

"No." I shake my head.

"Nya, forget about the backpack, you will never make it there _and_ to _Haunted Hill_ on time." He gives me a pleading look. "If you don't hurry up and go now, you won't be able to get home for another year. Go."

But I don't move. "No." I repeat.

"Nya..."

"I'm not staying here for another year." I tell him. "I'm staying forever."

* * *

 _Wu smiles at me as I re-enter the blacksmith shop._

 _"I haven't." He says before I even get to ask the question that's been burning on my mind since hearing his story._

 _"H-how d-do y-you know?" I stammer as I take off my backpack and place it on one of the empty chairs._

 _"I can see it in your eyes." He states. "And I have_ never _regretted my decision to stay in this time. Not for a single moment."_

 _"Thank you." I flash him a brief smile before I join Jay, Ronin and Lillian outside. "I guess I'll see you around then."_

* * *

At midnight, I look up as the fireworks lighten up the starless sky over Ignacia. We may have missed a 1 in 3721 opportunity to see the Yin Yang Eclipse, but we have achieved something much bigger.

"It's over." Jay wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my cheek. "You did it."

"No. _We_ did it." I turn around in his embrace. "And this is just the beginning."

* * *

 **Almost done, just a little epilogue still to come on the weekend.**


	8. Epilogue (2028)

**Final chapter of this book (and the first one with a different POV).**

 **Thanks everyone for reading, following/fav-ing, and especially to those who took the time to leave a little (or longer) comment xx.** **I hope you've enjoyed this little tale.**

* * *

Epilogue (2028)

"Slow down, Nya." I call after my little girl. "I don't want you to lose your way in this mist."

But listening to others and following rules has never been her strength, so my six-year old daughter keeps running up the hill, her long red hair a rather messy ponytail swinging wildly from side to side.

I sigh as I try to keep up with her. She's so much like her aunt, my younger sister that Nya was named after – and the girl who mysteriously disappeared on the _Day of the Departed_ ten years ago.

All that was left of her was a short note left on her bed ' _I love you Kai and I am sorry but I have to do this_.' Of course, the police took this as a suicide note, but even to this day I still refuse to accept this idea.

After the police had closed the case way too fast, only me and her three closest friends kept looking for her. And we found out that, a few weeks before she disappeared, she withdrew quite a large sum from her college fund, so I like to believe that she used the money to start a new life somewhere else.

Although I wouldn't understand why anyone would actually want to leave this place. Ignacia offers so much, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It's a beautiful old town, one of the richest communities in all of Ninjago, and a popular tourist attraction.

Especially at this time of the year, people from all over the country visit Ignacia for our famous _Day of the Departed_ celebrations.

Which also means I've been incredibly busy for the past few weeks as our famous _Smiths' Aeroblades_ are a must-have accessory on this holiday.

Sure, there are some cheap plastic copies available, but most people, including the majority of the tourists, want the 'real thing', and are willing to pay for it. Although they had officially retired a few years ago, I even had to ask my parents to help me out. Luckily, they both enjoy working at the forge once in a while, and they still live at the _Four Weapons_ anyway.

Although I now run the family business, me and my family have a house in the city. My wife is the manager of a successful noodle house, and I just don't want her having to drive home in the dark whenever she has to work late - like tonight. It just doesn't feel safe.

Speaking about my wife... while the four of us were looking into my sister's disappearance, I became really good friends with Zane, Pixal, and Skylor. And over time, me and Skylor became more than just friends. We've been married for seven years now, with two wonderful children.

Our little boy was very tired to come with us though, after we'd spent the afternoon at the fun fair, enjoying a deliecious treat at 'Antonia's Cupcakes' (one of the oldest bakeries in Ignaica - and undoubtedly the best) and watching the famous play about the blacksmith's daughter and the carpenter who saved our town from the evil ghosts.

My daughter loves this tale, especially as she shares her name with the heroine.

And while it may sound unbelievable, it is actually true.

The young couple got married shortly afterwards and they took over his father's business. In collaboration with the inventor Cyrus Borg, they came up with many appliances that were way ahead of their time. To this day, _Walker_ _Industries_ is one of the most successful businesses and biggest employers in the area.

Of course, the Duke insisted on rewarding them for their actions and, at their request, he set up a public school for boys and girls, and made two of his former advisors, Sensei Yang and Sensei Wu, the head teachers. To this day, the _Nya_ _Walker School_ is considered to be one of the best institutions in Ninjago, and my little girl loves going there - well, on most days at least.

The couple's own daughter was one of the school's most famous students; she became the first female surgeon in Ninjago, and she continued to work in her profession even after she got married to the next Duke of Ignacia.

And they've always kept a good working and personal relationship with our family.

I should probably mention that my ancestor also took part in this battle, and it was his weapons that were used to defeat the ghosts.

Which is how the _Four Weapons_ then became the official blacksmith to the Duke of Ignacia, and the _Aeroblade_ was even added to his coat of arms.

And, as already mentioned, the town holds a huge celebration each year, in memory of this event.

And in our family, we also have a special tradition for the _Day of the Departed_ : we climb up _Haunted Hill_ , a small elevation outside the town, to light a sky lantern in honour of our ancestors.

But for some reason, I haven't done it in years. I know that I used to love doing this when I was a child, so I really don't know why I stopped about fifteen years ago. As did mum and dad. It was only Nya who had kept the family tradition alive (and she didn't know that I knew about this). Until she disappeared, that is.

But when I told my daughter about this – they were talking about _Day of the Departed_ traditions at school – she insisted we'd do it together this year. So, here we are.

 _Haunted Hill_ is normally a beautiful spot with a great view over the town, but today, it is all covered in a thick fog.

While I shiver, Nya is way too excited to feel cold or even the slightest bit uncomfortable. I take off my backpack and put it on the soft mossy ground, then I remove a bright red paper lantern and a lighter from it.

I am just about to unfold it when I hear voices coming through the mist. Strange. I think. I've never known there was a path on the other side of the hill. But then, I haven't been here in a long time.

"Eddy, JJ, slow down." A strangely familiar female voice calls. "And Amy, you're staying with us."

"We don't want you to lose your way in this mist." A cheery male voice adds. Sounds like they're having the same 'problem' of overexcited children.

The woman laughs. "Although that's not always a bad thing."

"No, losing my way here was the best thing that's ever happened to me." The man agrees.

"And to me. You know it hasn't been this foggy up here since that night ten years ago." She remarks. "Do you think..."

As they keep talking, two boys, maybe two or three years older than my daughter, come running up the hill. They have curly brown hair and electric blue eyes, which are mischievously glistening in the darkness.

"Let's hide." The laugh and turn to me. "Don't tell mum and dad, okay?" The request before they hide behind a large rock.

Not much later, the rest of the family arrives. At first, I only make out their shapes through the mist – it looks like a man who is carrying something and a woman holding a smaller figure at her hand. As they come closer, I notice that they must be about my age, in their late twenties or maybe early thirties. The man has auburn hair and the same blue eyes as the two boys, a little boy is half asleep on his shoulder. And the woman...

I blink. _No, this can't be true_. _Or is it?_

"Nya?" I gasp.

"Yes, dad?" My little girl replies, as the woman breaks out in a huge smile.

"Kai." She exclaims as she lets go off the girl's hand to wrap me in a tight hug.

"I've been wanting to do that for the last ten years." She sniffs burying her face in my chest.

 _Me too._

"Wha- what are you doing here?" I question as we eventually break apart. "And where have you been?"

She smiles. "It's a long story, but unfortunately, we don't have that much time." She takes a book from her bag and hands it to me. "For the last nine years, I've brought this up here with me, hoping I'd get a chance to give it to you."

I immediately recognise the book. "Your old diary?" The one she's always threatened me _not_ to read.

Nya nods. "It will explain everything. But I guess I should introduce you to my family now."

She proudly puts her arm around the man's waist. "This is my husband, Jay. And this is Kai, my brother."

"Nice to meet you, Jay." As we shake hands, I recall having heard that name before. "You're the boy Nya brought to that party, right? Skylor has mentioned the name."

"Skylor, huh?" Nya smirks as her gaze falls on my daughter's bright red hair.

"Yes." I smile. "Skylor Smith, my wife. Unfortunately, she couldn't join us as she is working tonight. But this is our daughter, Nya. She's six."

"It's lovely to meet you, Nya." My sister crouches down to smile at her niece. "My name is Nya too. I'm your auntie, that's your uncle Jay, and this is your cousin Amy." She points at the back-haired girl. "She's seven, so I'm sure you're going to be great friends."

She gets up and looks around. "And the twins, Edward and Jay Jr, must be hiding somewhere around here; they will be nine at Christmas and are a pair of troublemakers." I silently nod and secretly point at the rock.

"Thanks." Nya mouths and affectionately ruffles the small boy's chestnut hair. "And this sleepy little man is three-year old Kai."

"Sky and I have a boy of the same age." I tell her. "But Ray was too tired to come up here, so mum and dad are watching him."

"M-Mum and Dad?" Nya's eyes are welling with tears as she leans against her husband. Jay supportively wraps his arm around her. "Th-they aren't...?" She sobs.

"Are you alright, mummy?" Amy asks worriedly.

"I'm fine, sweetie." My sister reassures her daughter. "It's just that I... I haven't seen your grandparents in a long, long time."

"No, we saw granny and grandpa just this morning." The girl insists.

"Yes, we saw daddy's parents. But not mine." Nya explains.

"I have more g'andparents?" Amy asks excitedly, looking at her parents with her big brown puppy eyes. "Can we see them? Pleeeaaase?"

"They're staying at our place tonight, it's not far." I tell them. "And it's right next to the restaurant, I'm sure Sky would love to see you too."

Nya turns to her husband. "C-can we?" She asks in a shaky voice.

Jay gives her a loving smile. "Nya, my love, are you seriously asking me for permission to go visit your parents that you haven't seen in like fifteen years?" He gently tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

 _Fifteen_? I wonder.

As my sister happily hugs him, Jay looks a bit anxious about the prospect of meeting his in-laws for the first time, but for some reason I am sure that it's gonna be fine.

"But we first gotta light the lantern." _My_ Nya insists. She's been looking forward to it all week.

"Boys, come here, else you're gonna miss the lighting of the latern." My sister calls, and my older nephews reappear from their hiding place.

"You're no fun." The pout.

"We don't have time to play hide and seek tonight." Their mother tells them. "Because we are going to meet some wonderful people after this." She playfully nudges her husband. "And we want to get some cotton candy from the fun fair, don't we?"

Jay's eyes light up. "Yeah, the _children_ are gonna love it."

"Especially the big kid." Nya smirks.

I've missed her so much, but I can see that she is happy.

"So, who's turn is it this year?" Jay asks his children.

"Mine. Mine." Amy excitedly bounces up and down as the boys cross their arms and huff in disappointment.

I can't help but chuckle at the display, this scene is just so familiar...

"We have a lantern as well, and Nya has never done this before. Maybe you two could help us?" I suggest.

I give my sister a side hug as we watch the two lanterns rise up into the sky.

"Where have you been, sis?" I mumble, her diary safely stored away in my backpack.

"The question is not _where_ , Kai." Nya smiles at me. "But _when_."

* * *

 **[If you're wondering how Ray and Maya are still alive here - in the original timeline Maya had a second job because they were struggling financially, and the accident happened on the way home from that job. But the _Four Weapons_ is doing quite well in the altered timeline, so no extra jobs.]**


End file.
